Sleeping Beauty
by Melrose Stormhaven
Summary: New Chapter up! sorry to old reviewers! had to repost! The spy in Kritiker is finally revealed, causing a bloody battle between former allies, and even lovers.
1. Sleeping Beauty: Part I: Chapter I: A Wa...

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Disclaimer: Weiβ Kreuz is owned by its owners…my guess it would be Koyasu Takehito and his gang…I do not, in any circumstances, own it. This is for ENTERTAINMENT purposes only. Suing me won't do you good. I have no money…. I'm only in college, please…on scholarship…

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Note: I've heard some rumors that in the final drama CD, all Weiβ assassins were killed–except for Omi. Since I have no means of ever acquiring that CD to verify it, I'll base my fanficton by the anime, OAV and a little of the manga…. Any discrepancies feel free to e-mail me. Sorry for Yaoi fans, there isn't any Yaoi here…I still believe the guys are straight…oh, wait…I think there is a Yaoi here…. 

**__**

Sleeping Beauty

By

Yue no Miko

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Part I: Black Cat's Meow

Chapter I: A Wake

It looked like a wake rather than a reunion.

At least, that was what Ken Hidaka thought as he entered a small house. It was very dim inside, with only a candle illuminating the room. A faint scent of flowers caught his attention, but he ignored it.

Ken looked at the faces staring at him. He was the last one to arrive, he noticed. All of them were already there. All of them were wearing black and serious expressions on their faces, made grimmer by the mellow light cast on them by the candle's light. They were sitting on some crude stools.

"Hello, Ken," Manx said in a deadpan voice when she saw him enter. She was also wearing her usual black dress, which, Ken had always thought, was a startling contrast to her fiery hair. She looked sober, but at the same time, alarmingly pale.

Yes, it was certainly more of a wake than a reunion.

"Good evening, Manx," he greeted back in a subdued but nonetheless cheery voice. "It's been a long time, hasn't it?" He took a seat beside her.

She nodded, then sighed. "It's been a long time, Siberian. Far too long."

"Now that he's here," Ran Fujimiya said in his firm voice. "Can we get to the bottom of this? Why were we called back?"

The members of Weiβ Kreuz were called back into a secret meeting. Ken was more than stunned when, after going home from soccer practice–Ken is a soccer coach in a prominent private school–he found Birman standing in front of his door. She wordlessly handed him a note, then left. The note told him to go to this place, on this time. Idly, Ken wondered how the others were contacted.

"I thought it would be all over, when we left," Omi Tsukiyono said from behind him. His voice sounded like those of a full-grown man now. He sounded more confident, more sure of himself.

"Yeah," Youji Kudou echoed. His voice still sounded the same–lazy, seductive, teasing. But there was still something different about it, a different but subtle change in tone.

"I thought so too," Manx responded. "I didn't want this…but it must be done. All of us are it great danger."

"There's nothing new about that, Manx. We've always been in danger. After all, we are assassins, are we not?" Youji pointed out a little sarcastically, shifting in his seat. 

Manx's eyes flashed. Ken couldn't tell whether her reaction was because she was angry, or because she was hurt. "I know that, Balinese," she snapped. "But we're not the only ones. The whole organization is in danger."

Omi emerged from the shadows. He looked younger than his 23 years. His tawny hair was a bit shorter now, and he wore an elegant black suit. Omi had become one of the richest men in Japan–all thanks to his computer software and security company. "When you say 'organization', you mean Kritiker, right?" he wanted to know. "There's something wrong, isn't there?"

Manx nodded. "Yes." She paused for a moment. She looked away, not being able to stare straight into their eyes. "As we all know, Him-" she stopped for a moment to painfully swallow a huge lump on her throat. "Himalayan was working on a special mission to discover who Kuroneko is."

"What about Kuroneko?" Ran asked suddenly in a menacingly quiet voice. Manx glanced at him for a moment, startled by the sudden change in his voice. She did not dare look into Ran's eyes.

"Well, before…Himalayan died…Himalayan left some of the data gathered from the mission on Kuroneko. It seems that Kuroneko managed to penetrate deeply into Kritiker," Manx added, pausing to take a few deep breaths. "Himalayan collected more data but–"

"Himalayan was murdered before the data could be handed down to others," Ken finished for Manx, his voice losing all its cheerfulness.

Manx finally managed to look at them. "Kuroneko's back. He's been taking down several agents and assassins of Kritiker from all over the world. Recently, a deep penetration agent of Kritiker in a Mafia family in New York was murdered by Kuroneko."

"How can you be sure it is Kuroneko?" Youji asked, lighting a cigarette. Youji closed his eyes as he inhaled the bitter smoke. His voice had taken a serious note at the mention of Kuroneko and that made Manx slightly uneasy.

"The black pawprint was found on the DPA's neck, and his heart was cut open–Kuroneko's signature."

"Could be a copycat," Omi mused.

Manx shook her head. "No, it's Kuroneko. Carved in the victim's chest was the words: 'I have returned to destroy those who judge themselves above the law.'"

The four men exchanged glances. "That's him all right–still full of contradictory shit," Youji growled. Adjusting the collar of his black leather jacket, he asked, "So, what do you want us to do? You want us to find Kuroneko?"

Manx eyed him warily. "Not quite. Someone has already been assigned to that. All Angora–that's the assigned agent's code name–needs is a bit of help."

"So it's Angora now. I wonder who the hell this one is?" Ken muttered.

"What kind of help does Angora need?" Ran wanted to know, standing up from his seat. His red hair was longer now, reaching up to his shoulder blades. 

Manx handed him a thick manila envelope. The others crowded near Ran as he pulled out the contents of the envelope. They briefly scanned the contents. 

"Angora wants you to be at the specified place in the envelope on time. Any questions you might have, the answers are already in the envelope," Manx told them.

"We didn't say 'yes' yet, Manx," Youji pointed out, looking up. 

"You don't have to. Your expressions already told me what your answers will be." With that, Manx picked up her handbag and headed for the door.

There was a sudden silence a few minutes after Manx's departure. The four young men stared at the contents they held in their hands, then at each other.

"So, we're back in business, aren't we?" Ken remarked dryly. He gave a humorless laugh. "It's been quite a long time, hasn't it?

It had been almost five years since Weiβ Kreuz disbanded. Five years of almost no contact with each other. Of course, they would sometimes see each other, perhaps in the newspaper or on the street but they never ended up in the same room, until now. Ken wondered just how much had changed.

The light of the candle sputtered, indicating that it would soon go out. "Why don't we go to a more well- lighted place?" Omi suggested.

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The well-lighted place Omi suggested was a small coffee shop just around the corner. It was open 24 hours, and they were lucky that only a few people were there when they entered. As Ken glanced around, he felt that the place was somehow familiar to him, although he couldn't put his finger on _why_ it was so.

The group seated themselves on a booth near the window. A friendly waitress with long blonde hair and a generous bosom asked them what they wanted. All of them ordered regular coffee although Youji, when persuaded by the waitress, bought the special mocha latte.

As Youji's eyes followed the swaying hips of the waitress, Omi remarked with a frown, "You haven't changed one bit, Youji. Still a playboy."

Youji grinned at him. "Did you expect me to?" Youji raked his eyes on Omi, who suddenly blushed. "So, how's the life of the richest man in Japan?"

Omi wagged his finger at him. "Not the richest. Just _one_ of the richest," he corrected.

Cocking up one eyebrow, Youji turned to Ken. "Modest, isn't he?"

Ken laughed. "So, what are you doing now, Youji?" he wanted to know.

Youji ran his fingers through his long maple brown hair for a moment. "Well, if you read fashion magazines–which I rather doubt you guys do–I'm an image model for a prominent jeans company."

"Honto?" Ken's eyes widened. "So that _is_ you! I mean, you're the guy in the billboard across my apartment. I thought I was imagining stuff when I saw that billboard. How in the world did you land that job?"

Youji winked at him. "It's all in the hips, Ken-ken. It's all in the hips."

They stopped talking when the waitress returned with their order. As expected, Youji flashed the girl a sexy smile. She shyly smiled back, then walked away, glancing back at Youji every now and then.

Youji then turned to the ever-silent Ran, who was busy studying the contents of the manila envelope as he sipped his coffee. "What about you, Ran? What are you doing now?"

Ran did not bother to look at Youji when he answered, "In my first year as a medical student."

The three choked on their coffee. "Nani?!? You, a _medical_ student?" Youji demanded, wiping away his suddenly teary eyes. "Wha–what–" The three of them were stunned. Ran Fujimiya–Abyssinian–a doctor? The possibility of that happening was beyond reason, but it did.

Finally, Ran looked at them. "Yes."

Omi thought for a moment. "I heard your sister, Aya-chan, got married to…" Omi's voice trailed off, unsure if he was going to continue what he was going to say. He dared not to provoke Ran now.

Ran's violet eyes were boring into Omi's eyes when he replied, "She's been married to Patrick for two years. They're expecting their first child two months from now."

Ken observed Ran's face as he spoke. He didn't look angry, but neither was he happy. His voice was neutral, not giving away whatever he felt about his sister's marriage to Patrick. Ran's eyes, however, for a very brief moment, showed a flash of pain as he mentioned Patrick's name and of the child they were expecting.

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After all these years, Ken wondered. _Does it still hurt, Ran?_ _I wouldn't blame you if it still did. I still feel the pain, even after all this time. _

Kuroneko. Black Cat. The sign of coming misfortune. His identity was never known. He was, as Youji described once, a psycho. He killed the agents of Kritiker with astonishing skill and accuracy. Kuroneko had been thought to disappear five years ago, probably after getting his fill of Kritiker agents' hearts and blood.

And now Kuroneko was back, taking more lives.

"I'm not doing this because I want to help Angora," Omi said quietly, breaking through Ken's thoughts. His blue eyes were penetrating as he looked at them. "It's because I want to help in finding that son of a bitch Kuroneko and make him pay for what he did to _her_." He clenched his fists, jaws tightening.

With sudden clarity, Ken realized why the place was familiar. It was the place where they first met _her_. They were sitting on the same booth they sat on years ago. 

__

Ohayo. I'm an agent of Kritiker.

Ken could almost hear _her_ voice. Feel _her _presence and _her_ warmth.

__

I'm going to work with you for a while.

Tears suddenly welled up on his eyes. He saw for the first time the source of the flowery scent he detected a while ago. It was from the flowers Ran brought with him. Ran laid those flowers on the table.

Yes, Ken decided, it was indeed a wake. 

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~To be continued~

So, what do you think? This is my first fanfic, so please, be gentle…suggestions can be posted through my e-mail.


	2. Chapter II: White Assassin

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Disclaimer: Weiβ Kreuz is owned by its owners (duh!)…My guess it would be Koyasu Takehito and his gang…I do not, in any circumstances, own it. This is for ENTERTAINMENT purposes only. Suing me won't do you good. I have no money…. I'm only in college, please…on scholarship…

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Chapter II: White Assassin

It was deep into the night when the members of Weiβ Kreuz appeared on site indicated by information in the envelope. The night air was cool and invigorating, carrying with it the faintest trace of the coming winter. A few crisp leaves blew past them, settling for a few moments on the asphalt before being carried away by the wind once again. There was no moon in the sky, just a few scattered stars twinkling in the heavens.

They were sitting in the van, waiting for Angora to show up. Parked in a dark alley between tall and derelict buildings and coupled with the moonless night, they were nearly invisible to passersby. It was a good night to do a mission.

Youji flicked away his still-burning cigarette, its light making a smooth orange arc. He was impatient to meet this Angora. This person who took the task of finding out who the hell Kuroneko was. It was no easy task, hunting down Kuroneko. Some would say tracking down Kuroneko was tantamount to suicide. Many agents had died because of him, far too many for comfort. This fact had made Kuroneko the most hated and most feared of the enemies of Kritiker.

Up to now, it's still not known why Kuroneko was killing off Kritiker agents. Revenge is one of the most plausible motives why Kuroneko does what he does. No one had been able to prove that motive though, since no one knows who the heck Kuroneko was. Another theory was the existence of 'anti-Kritiker' organization which sole mission is to kill and destroy Kritiker. Again, this theory is unproven.

Behind Youji, Omi tested his crossbow, making sure his weapon wouldn't suddenly fall apart when a critical moment comes. Omi was wearing a white shirt underneath a dark blue vinyl jacket, coupled with black leather pants. He no longer looked like the friendly businessman next door. Somehow, he looked very grim in his clothes.

Omi was the only one whose preference on clothes was altered. The rest of them still wore their old clothes: Youji with his dark blue trench coat with a white cross design; Ken with his goggles, sweatshirt, jacket and whatnots and Ran with his deep purple, almost black, trench coat. They also still used their old weapons, although each of them carried guns now, just to make sure. Nowadays, everyone had to own a gun. With all the crime happening in the city, everyone should be able to protect himself or herself.

Ken took a deep breath. It had been five years since their last mission. Were they as good as before? Were they ready for this? Times had changed and so did people_. I hope we're not over our heads this time, _he said to himself as he adjusted his bugnuks, testing its sharpness. Nearby, Ran sat silently, his hands holding to his katana tightly, head bowed as if in prayer.

A faint flash of light from Ran caught Ken's eyes. Ken's gaze fell at the source of that light. It came from the gold ring on Ran's finger. It had been a gift to him.

Ken stared at it for a moment. _He still wears it, like with Aya-chan's earring,_ Ken thought as his gaze wandered to Ran's ear where the earring was.

_It's just a remembrance ring, Hidaka-san. Nothing more, nothing less. Why do you insist it's something more?_

He was at it again. He couldn't get _her_ voice out of his mind. He shook his head. He needed to have a clear mind for this mission and thinking about _her_ isn't exactly a good thing when one wants a clear mind.

This was actually a relatively easy and simple job. They were just going to assist Angora in an information-gathering mission about Kuroneko. All they had to do was break into the specified place, hack into the computer system, copy the data into the disk, erase all tracks then get the heck out of there.

But as many say, it is the simple tasks that are the most troublesome.

Youji lit another cigarette. Like Ken, he was also silently worried on how they would perform in this mission. They were out of 'practice'. Five years would have certainly dulled their abilities.

Before Ken had arrived on the meeting two days ago, Youji had demanded to Manx why they were contacted. Youji was no one's fool. He knew what this meeting meant, but he didn't know why.

"What about the current Weiβ Kreuz? Don't tell me they're too scared to do this kind of work. Manx, don't tell me you Persia recruited a bunch of sissies to replace us!" Youji had fumed at Manx.

" All of the members of the current Weiβ Kreuz are dead, Youji," Manx told him quietly. "Kuroneko got to them first. They were killed two days ago."

Youji had been astonished by the news. A whole team killed by one person. Is the guy _human_?

Youji threw away his cigarette, cursing to himself as a piece of hot ash brushed on his arm.

Manx stared at her watch. "We're a bit early for the appointed time. We should wait for a while for Angora."

"There's no need to wait, Manx," a cool voice replied from behind her. "I'm already here. Good evening, minna."

All of them froze at the sound of the voice. It was feminine and frighteningly familiar. Ran's head snapped up to look at the owner of the voice. Omi dropped his crossbow, his body suddenly tensing.

The voice's owner stepped out from the shadows. "You're too early," Angora remarked as she revealed herself to them. All of them were stunned when they saw her underneath the dim light of a nearly burnt-out street lamp. Angora, like her namesake cat, had long, fine and silky white hair, though her eyes were a startling gold- green and not her namesake's copper or blue. She was a breathtakingly beautiful young woman, perhaps a year or two younger than Ran was. 

But that was not what stunned the group. "You're _dead_!" Youji shouted hoarsely. "You're supposed to be motherfucking _dead_!" His eyes were wide, his mouth open. He bolted out of the van and stood staring at the new arriver. The rest of the group, who like him, was also staring at the girl, followed him.

Angora laughed dryly. "Is that the way you greet women nowadays, Kudou-san? You need to polish your line a bit. You won't get many girls by cursing them like that." She tossed back her snowy mane as she spoke, crossing her arms across her chest.

"But you're dead," Omi whispered, his voice suddenly taking on its younger tone. "They told us you're dead. It was even in the papers." His blue eyes filled with tears at the memory. "I was at your funeral–all of us were at your funeral. We saw your casket and your body being lowered to the ground." Omi shook his head. "You're dead," he repeated brokenly. "How can you be not dead?"

A ghostly smile lit her face, making her seem more haunting. "But I am, dead, that is. Legally, I no longer exist among the world of the living." She looked at them for a moment, her cat-like eyes narrowing into tiny slits of gold-green. "You haven't changed all that much in five years," she mused critically.

"But you certainly did, Patricia," Ran suddenly remarked in his quiet voice, his eyes never leaving their gaze on her face.

Another ghostly smile. "Yes, I certainly have." She turned to Manx, who was now stunned speechless. "Hello, Manx. It's been quite a while, hasn't it?"

"Quite a while?" Manx repeated, voice trembling. "It has been five years, Patricia. We thought you were dead for five years! Quite a while? I don't think so!" Angora remained unperturbed. "Where the hell have you been?"

"You will find out some other time, but for now, let's focus on the mission at hand," she told her.

"Not some other time, now! We will not help un–"

Angora cut her off. "Then don't. It was nice seeing you again, but since you wouldn't cooperate, I'm afraid this will be the last time we would ever meet." She turned her back on them, ready to walkout from their sight and lives forever.

"Wait."

It was Ran. She turned to face him.

"You may not owe an explanation to Manx, but you owe me one. You are not going to walk away without giving me that explanation," he asserted firmly. He took a step closer to her.

"You will have to wait after the mission for the explanation." Her glance went to another derelict-looking building a few meters away from them. "We're wasting a lot of valuable time arguing here."

Silence filled the dark alley for a moment. Angora's focus switched to Omi. "Do you know what you have to do?" she asked him, breaking the silence.

Omi, though still bewildered by the turn of events, managed to nod at her. "We need to penetrate the place in order to hack into the computer system since their main computer isn't linked to a modem. Security is a bit tough, but once we hack into their system, it should be fairly easy."

"We can't go barging in the house. There's more than a hundred men out there, armed to the teeth." She looked at the house again, squinted her eyes at the sudden glare of light from a passing helicopter. "The computer's somewhere up the house. It may look derelict, but inside, it's a different world."

"You've been inside?" Ken asked, finally finding his voice.

She nodded. "A while ago." She leaned against a wall, eyes trained on them.

"A while ago? Then security isn't that tight," Youji remarked. "After all, you managed to sneak in."

"A while ago, yes. But now that Kuroneko's boss is there, I rather doubt that."

"Kuroneko's boss? I thought–"

"Kuroneko works alone?" Angora interrupted smoothly. "Unfortunately, Kuroneko doesn't. By the way, Kuroneko was a girl, not a guy."

"_Was_ a girl?" 

"She's dead now. She's my…how should I say this…my _substitute_ in the grave." She gave them a bitter smile. "The Kuroneko responsible for the recent killings is new. _He's_ inside." 

"You know who the new Kuroneko is? Are we going to take him out?" Omi wanted to know. He picked up his crossbow.

"The answer is no, on both counts. We will _not_, in any way, harm Kuroneko, unless in self-defense, of course. Believe me, killing Kuroneko now will only cause a whole new set of problems." She paused for a moment, brushing away stray locks off her face. Beside the blackness of the night and of her catsuit, her white hair was a startling contrast.

"Nice hair," Manx remarked suddenly.

Angora laughed. She toyed with one of her snowy locks. "This? It comes with the job. This just about puts a whole new perspective on the term 'White Assassin'." Then she turned serious. "Let's all remember this is an information-gathering mission, not an assassination. The information in that computer is a must-have." She glanced at her watch. "I've arranged for a sudden blackout in the area. It is only going to last for a few minutes, so we have to work fast." 

Omi thought for a moment. "The computer would only stay on for a few minutes. Do you think we can hack in and copy the data in time?"

"Bombay, it was your computer company that made their computer's security system," she informed him with a slight smirk. "I think you'd find it a bit easy to hack something you designed yourself."

"Oh."

"Is that why you asked for us?" Ran asked her. "Because of Omi?"

She looked at him. "No. Not quite. I'm afraid I have some bad news for you. Kuroneko's rumored next targets are Asian agents. It doesn't matter if you're retired or not. Kuroneko will kill anyone who has a link with Kritiker. In that computer's data files are information about who will be those targets."

"So you're doing this because you what?" Youji queried bluntly.

"Why am I doing this should be fairly obvious, Balinese, but if you can't figure it out, then that's your problem," she retorted coolly. "Anyway, since Kuroneko has already dealt with and killed the current Weiβ Kreuz, you are the only ones who, I trust, are still skilled enough to handle a job like this." She checked her watch again. "The blackout should happen in a few minutes. Let's go to our positions."

They stared at each other for a moment. _This is it_, Omi thought, taking a deep breath. _We're back in business._ He surveyed his surroundings. He felt like he was transported back in time, back when they were the White Assassins. 

Omi watched Angora closely, still not quite believing she was just a few feet away, alive and well. He wanted to imprint forever on his mind what she looked like today. He still had the nagging fear she would disappear after this mission, never to be seen again. 

Her hair was now fashioned into chignon, though a few wisps fell in front of her ear and on her forehead. Her face had changed little since they last saw her, although she looked more cynical now, worldlier, more confident. She was more mysterious than ever, more enigmatic.

Her tastes in clothing and weapons changed as well. She was now wearing a skintight catsuit, revealing her slim but at the same time curvy figure. Omi's eyes bulged slightly when he saw the blade of the daggers strapped to her legs. The daggers' sharp edge had what looked like a saw's teeth. On the daggers' point was a sharp hook. 

_Who are you?_ Omi thought. She pretended to be dead for five years. Omi wondered what made her decide to take that course of action. _What happened all those years?_

"Hey, Himalayan," Ken started to call her but she interrupted, "It's Angora now, Siberian. Himalayan's dead." Her voice was as cold as ice. 

There was another sudden uncomfortable silence. Ken looked away, unable to bear the probing gold-green eyes. Angora then turned to Ran and nodded. Ran nodded back.

The mission was about to begin.

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~To Be Continued~

Note: I got the inspiration for Angora's daggers from David Edding's fantasy books, the Mallorean and Belgariad Cycles. They're what he calls as Ulgo knives. 


	3. Chapter III A: The Start of Spring

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Disclaimer: Do I really have to keep on putting this up?!? *Sighs* OK…here we go again. Weiβ Kreuz is owned by its owners (duh!)…My guess it would be Koyasu Takehito and his gang, along with An Assassin and White Shaman manga author Kyoko Tsuchiya …I do not, in any circumstances, own it. This is for ENTERTAINMENT purposes only. Suing me won't do you good. I have no money…. I'm only in college, please…on scholarship…

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Note: Chapters III-VI will be divided into 4 subchapters each.

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Chapter III. A: The Start of Spring

Spring, 5 years ago…

"Omi, watch out for–"

"Huh?" The light brown haired-young man said. Out of nowhere, a flowerpot fell from a top shelf and hit him on the head with a loud, sickening bonk. Omi gave a loud groan, then crumpled to the floor, unconscious.

"Omi!" Youji shouted, hastily putting down the flowerpot he was holding to rush towards Omi. Ken went to the backroom to get a first aid kit. Meanwhile, Aya stood looming over Omi's still body, muttering, "Baka."

"You could show a little bit of sympathy, you know," Youji pointedly said to Aya, giving him a slight glare. "He's hurt, in case you didn't notice." He carefully turned over the young man onto his back.

Aya knelt beside the injured Omi, gently checking the young blonde boy's head. "He has a small cut on his head. I don't think there are any broken bones," he declared, standing up.

"My, aren't we the doctor now?" Youji retorted. It was Aya's turn to glare at him. 

"Oi, oi! You guys stop it right now! Omi's hurt and you two are arguing in front of him," Ken scolded them as he re-entered the room, first aid kit in hand.

The two older guys flushed in embarrassment. Ken sounded like he was scolding a bunch of misbehaving schoolboys rather than two grown men. The two glared at Ken, who scowled back.

Omi groaned, stirring slightly. The three quickly turned to him. "Are you all right, Omittchi?" Youji asked in a concerned voice, rudely pushing Ken aside. Ken then glowered at Youji but remained silent.

Omi shook his head slowly and blinked several times as if trying to clear his vision. "Aside from the fact that my head hurts like hell, yeah, I think I'm fine," he responded in a groggy voice. He slowly brushed off the dirt from his hair, wincing as he touched his wound. "That was one heavy flowerpot."

"A'ho," Aya muttered to Omi. Ken and Youji frowned at him, which Aya characteristically ignored. Aya stood up, and continued his work of loading the flowers into their van. Meanwhile, Ken and Youji helped Omi get up. Omi stumbled a little, a bit out of balance because of the hit he took.

It was the start of spring, the time for changes and the time for new beginnings. The day was bright and clear, filled with many possibilities. Everyone was doing something: sleeping, eating, working, studying etc. Spring was the time of awakening, the start of a new life ahead.

The members of the assassination group Weiβ Kreuz was busy loading their van with flowers that they would sell later in the day. Their day always seemed to start this way. They would head to the flower distributor and their greenhouse early in the morning to pick up their goods. After loading them into their van, they would go around the city and nearby towns to sell the flowers. After selling their products, they would spent the day doing other stuff: Omi would go to the nearby university where he's studying, Ken would coach a kid's soccer team, Youji would go bar-hopping or flirting with girls while Aya would…well, Aya would just be…Aya. Life for them was as simple as that.

But once Manx or Birman appears with a new mission, their lives take a sudden change. They were no longer the pretty boy flower clerks. No longer do they lead simple, harmless lives. They were now Weiβ Kreuz, White Assassins. Hunters in the darkness.

After cleaning and dressing Omi's wound, Ken went back to work. As he picked up a bucket of red long- stemmed roses, Ken smiled. _Whoever thought of our cover must be some kind of genius,_ he thought, putting the bucket with a soft thud inside the van. _Who would ever think that four harmless- looking flower clerks are really a group of lethal assassins?_

Looking up at the cloudless blue sky, Ken silently wished Manx or Birman wouldn't appear today with Weiβ's new mission. Pulling his thick jacket closer–it was still cold–Ken paused for a moment to survey his surroundings. The once-bare trees were starting to bud and the songs of birds filled the air. Those who had been dormant were finally awakening. A frown crossed Ken's handsome features as he remembered on how the group was far from being dormant this past winter. They were being run ragged by the almost continuous missions Manx was giving them. All of them, whether they would admit it or not, are yearning for a break from all that hard work. "Assassins needed to relax and unwind sometimes. After all, we're just human," Ken muttered out loud to himself.

"I'm afraid you have to forget of unwinding for now, Ken," an amused feminine voice said. 

Ken glanced at the owner of the voice in dismay. "Oh, it's you, Manx," he said in a cheerless voice.

Manx, which is obviously not her real name, along with Birman (also not her real name and nowhere to be found) gave Weiβ their missions. Manx was the one more familiar to them. She had long, slightly curly red hair, a shade lighter than Aya's hair color. She was tall for a woman and she seemed to accentuate that by wearing high heels. She usually wore a little black dress when she comes round to them. She had been working with them ever since they became members of Weiβ and she's always been very reliable.

Now, standing before Ken, she was wearing a thick fur coat–underneath, of course, is her little black dress. She was once again holding the ubiquitous manila envelope.

"G' mornin', Manx!" Youji greeted in his ridiculous–at least in Ken's opinion–voice. Youji brazenly looked at Manx from head to foot, letting out a low whistle. "The animal-rights activists are going to have your hide as their coat if they ever saw you wearing that fur coat," he remarked, grinning.

Manx raised her eyebrows. "This is a fake fur coat, Youji." She turned to Ken. "Where are the others?"

As if on cue, Omi came out and said, "Ohayou, Manx!" in a cheerful but somewhat subdued voice. Trailing behind him was the stoic-faced Aya Fujimiya.

"What happened to your head, Omi?" Manx asked in a concerned voice when she saw the patch of white on Omi's head. She gave the other members of Weiβ a dark look.

Omi gave a sheepish laugh. "Oh, well, uh…I sort of got bonked in the head by a flowerpot. Stupid of me, huh?" Omi slightly scratched the patch until Ken hissed for him to stop or Ken will bonk him with his fist.

"What are you doing here, Manx?" Aya asked bluntly. His violet eyes narrowed as he went on. "You rarely show yourself until we're finished with our flower shop work. What's so urgent?"

"Please don't tell me it's another mission," Omi groaned.

Manx adjusted her coat, pulling it closer. "Well, not exactly." She looked around for a moment, checking if anyone was there. "I'm here to inform you that you are to meet an agent of the European branch of Kritiker and if that meeting goes well, you are to assist this agent."

"European branch? Kritiker? Agent?" Ken echoed, a little confused. 

Manx glanced at him sharply. "Kritiker isn't just limited to Japan, you know. It's a worldwide organization. We have agents just like you in all over the world," Manx informed him, inadvertently making the former J-leaguer feel like a complete moron.

"So who is this agent?" Youji asked casually.

"Himalayan." Pausing for a moment, Manx took a deep breath. Then, she looked at them straight in the eye when she blurted out, "She's a Takatori."

Silence followed her words. Youji, who was in the act of pushing up his sunglasses, suddenly dropped it. Omi and Ken was just simply too stunned to speak. Their mouths hung open and their eyes bulged. Aya paled for a moment, then his face reddened with anger. 

"Ha, ha," Ken laughed nervously. "For a moment I thought you said, 'She's a Takatori.'" Ken gave a surreptitious glance at Aya, who was still red with fury. Ken then none-too-subtly placed himself between Aya and Manx, afraid that Aya, in his rage, would do something unpleasant to Manx.

Manx shook her head. "I made no mistake. Himalayan is a she and she is a Takatori," Manx asserted firmly, keeping her gaze on them. She flicked a quick look at Aya then turned to an obviously bewildered Omi. "She's your father and Shuuichi's half-sister," she informed the youngest Weiβ member.

"Half-sister!?!" Youji cried out. "I thought all Takatoris–except for Omi–are dead?!? What's going on, Manx?"

"Are you going to meet her or not?" Manx replied instead. She braced herself for the group's wrath.

"Answer the question first," Youji demanded, ignoring Manx's answer. He took a step forward, but Ken blocked him with his hand.

She gave Youji her iciest look. "I'm afraid if you want to find out about Himalayan, you'll have to meet her face to face." She handed to a reluctant Ken the envelope. "In there is the location, time and date of your meeting, _should you decide to meet her_." Manx emphasized her last six words. "Should you decide that you're not going to meet her, stay put. You are not to do anything–either involving her or not, without word from Persia and me. If you do not comply with what I have told you, Kritiker will disavow any relationship with you and if necessary, terminate you. Do you understand that?"

"She's that important? Important enough for you to threaten our lives?" Youji queried Manx in a voice filled with contempt. For the first time in a long, long while, Youji glared at a woman.

She turned her back from them. "You'll find out soon enough, Youji." Without another word, she left, leaving the group in a bewildered state.

*******

Omi stared at his desk, not paying attention to his professor. His young, impressionable mind was in a dazed whirl.

She's a Takatori.

Manx's words echoed back to him with sudden sharpness. A Takatori. One of his blood. His aunt.

Accepting the fact that he was the son of a man like Reiji Takatori and that he was left to die by his own father then rescued and raised by his uncle to kill didn't come easy to Omi. Until now, it still hurt. It would probably always hurt him.

Despite his outward cheerfulness and friendliness, Omi was often in a melancholic mood when he was alone. Omi had few real friends. He was quite lonely. Sure, he had the three other Weiβ members as company but sometimes he still felt all alone. Ken had his soccer students; Youji had his girls and Aya had…well, Aya had always been the loner in the group.

He still didn't remember anything about being Mamoru Takatori. He sometimes had flashes of memory, usually about his kidnapping or something about his brothers, both of which were unpleasant. He wanted more, something tangible to prove that he was real, that he was alive, that he existed.

Omi was in the stage of human development where he needed to establish who he really was and what was his niche in this life. And since he had no memory of who he really was, he could never really establish who he really was. Adolescence was a bit hard on Omi. He had to grow up fast; his questions about himself never really answered.

The unexpected revelation that he had an aunt revived his longing to know more about his forgotten and painful past. _Perhaps she would know,_ he mused silently. _Perhaps she would help me remember. Maybe she'll even take this loneliness away from me._

With those thoughts in his mind, Omi tried for the rest of the day to shift his attention to his lessons.

*******

"So are we going to meet her or not?" Ken asked the group over the dinner table. Silence answered his question. He stopped cooking for a while and sat on one chair. "We can't keep on putting this off, you know. The meeting is scheduled tomorrow morning. We have to decide if we are going to meet her or not," he pointed out. Still another silence from the group.

Aya stared at his glass of water, mind lost in thought. He didn't like Takatoris–except for Omi perhaps. In fact, he hated them, especially Reiji Takatori. He had been the one responsible for the killing of his parents and of the subsequent coma of his beloved sister, Aya.

His real name was Ran Fujimiya, but ever since the tragic events occurred in his life, he no longer used his real name. He took his sister's name, wore the earrings he bought for her on the night their parents died so that he wouldn't forget–will never forget–what Reiji Takatori had done. The earring, the name–they had been his driving force, the one that fueled his will to be what he is right now–an assassin.

His sister was awake now, safely nestled with Sakura Tomoe in a city far away from him. After the battle with Schwartz, the members of Weiβ pretended to be dead, meaning that in that city, they no longer existed; meaning Aya-chan had no idea her older brother was alive.

Aya couldn't possibly face his sister. He was too tainted, too stained with blood to face her. How would he explain the fact that he, for her sake and for revenge, had become a cold-blooded assassin? That the money used for her treatment had been at the cost of many, although evil lives? No, Aya was better off not knowing he was alive. She and Sakura were innocents. They would not understand and even if they did, Aya would still pretend to be dead.

And now, there was this Kritiker agent who happened to be a Takatori. Reiji's sister. Idly, he wondered what she looked like, then gave himself a swift mental kick.

"So, Aya," Ken said, breaking through Ran's thoughts. "Are we going to meet her or not?"

Aya stared at the group for a moment. Despite himself, he found himself suddenly curious about this mysterious Takatori. With a curt nod, he agreed.

*******

The meeting place was a coffee shop just a few blocks away from their apartment. All of them had seen it. Heck, even ate there. It was an unusual place to hold a meeting, especially a meeting of this kind.

The group entered the shop surreptitiously, glancing at the booths. It was very early in the morning, so there were only a few people in the shop. Omi craned his neck to survey the room. _Where is she?_ he wondered. He tried to spot someone that fitted his image of his aunt.

A sudden haughty laughter caught their attention. A flashily dressed young woman in a booth beside them was laughing on the phone. The men exchanged looks. "Don't tell me that's her?" Youji whispered in a shocked voice to an uncomfortable Omi.

"Excuse me," a feminine voice said, tapping Ken on his shoulder. They turned to her. She was a brown-haired waitress. "But the person you're looking for is over there, in the booth near the window." The girl smiled at them. "Please follow me."

The group followed her. Omi let out a sigh, relieved that the woman they were looking for was not that silly- looking girl. They were nearing the booth when his eyes focused on the one sitting there. He couldn't see the face because a huge newspaper was covering it. 

The waitress stopped a feet away from the figure. "Hey, Patti," she called. "They're here."

All of the members of Weiβ, whether consciously or unconsciously, held their breaths as the figure slowly lowered the newspaper. Then their eyes widened.

The figure sitting on the booth was indeed a girl. She was wearing a dark red baseball cap backwards, her long black hair tied into two low pigtails. She was wearing a blue sleeveless shirt and a pair of jeans. A tawny-colored sweater was tied at her hips. She carefully folded the newspaper then turned to stare at them with gold-green eyes. 

The group was astonished. They never expected Himalayan to look like this. She looked so young, so terribly innocent. They were completely taken aback.

The girl turned to the waitress. "Thanks, Hanako," she said in a warm, slightly husky voice, smiling. Her face seemed to glow as she smiled. She lifted an empty cup. "Can I have another one of your super yummy mocha latte? It's for take-out."

The waitress smiled back at her. "That's your third cup, Patti." She took the cup and saucer, then headed for the kitchen.

"Oh, don't forget the croissant!" Himalayan called. She watched the waitress walk away for a moment then turned to the four young men standing in front of her. "I wouldn't do that if I were you," she suddenly said to Youji.

"Huh?" Youji asked, surprised by her comment.

She thrust her jaw towards the kitchen. "Hanako's already married and two months pregnant. Her husband wouldn't take it kindly if you hit on her," she warned in a slightly amused voice.

"But I wasn't–" Youji started to say, then blushed when Himalayan gave him a steady stare.

She looked at her watch. "Let's wait for Manx to arrive. Why don't you sit down? You're blocking the customers' way." She looked puzzled when they tried to squeeze themselves on the other side of the booth. "What are you doing?" She patted the seat beside her. "You four can't possibly fit in that booth. Why can't the one with light brown ha–no not you," she said as Youji stood up. "I mean the younger light brown-haired, sit beside me."

Swallowing hard, Omi stood up. Now that he finally saw her, he felt all his strength draining from him. Then he heard her laugh in a rich, warm voice. "Don't worry, I'm not going to eat you. Takatoris don't eat people."

"No, they only destroy them," Aya said in a tight voice, suddenly angry, violet eyes hardening like chips of ice.

She looked at him. Their eyes met, Aya's violet one's clashing with Himalayan's gold-green ones. "Aye, we certainly do," she replied in a firm voice. Then she turned to Omi, who stood nervously beside her. "Sit down or you'll tire yourself." Omi took his seat reluctantly, aware of the tension in the air.

"And you feel no problem about it? Of your family destroying lives?" Aya asked in the same angry voice.

She thought for a moment, tugging at one pigtail, a movement that further irritated Aya. "Yes, I do have problems–doubts on how my father side of the family destroy lives."

"Then why don't you do something about it?"

"How can I? Reiji-niisan's dead, courtesy of you. How can I do something about something that's dead?" She gave Aya a penetrating look.

_So she knows I killed Reiji_, Aya said to himself. Aya tried to find out some fault in her argument. Seeing her had been a shock to him. He had been fully prepared to meet a sophisticated woman–as his image on what a Takatori woman looked like, but he was nearly undone when he saw a tomboy instead. How can one possibly rant on someone, who looks so damned…well, un-Takatori?

"I disappoint you, don't I?" she asked Aya. Aya glared at her. "Well, don't worry. I'm disappointed with you too."

"What do you mean by that?" Aya growled, his anger rising again.

"I thought by this time you've already had your fill of Takatori blood." Himalayan crossed her arms across her chest, narrowing her eyes.

"Your brother–" Aya started to say but she interrupted, "Which one?"

Gritting his teeth, Aya went on. "Reiji killed my parents. He destroyed our lives."

"Is that why you joined Weiβ, Abyssinian?" she asked him, calling Aya by his code name. "To avenge your parents' death? To kill all Takatoris?"

"I don't have to explain to you," Aya retorted coldly, leaping to his feet. The girl was absolutely infuriating!

"Because I'm a damned Takatori?" she supplied, looking up at his looming figure.

"Yes," he hissed.

"You are so narrow-minded," she told him bluntly, shaking her head. 

Aya's turned red with fury, and then his hand went to the hilt of his katana. The three sprang up, ready to stop Aya from doing something he would surely regret. Himalayan merely continued to look at Aya calmly.

"Don't you even dare touch her, Aya."

Manx's voice came penetratingly from behind them. She was standing about a foot away from Aya. Aya then felt something cold poke his back. He did not need to be a psychic to figure out that that something cold was the nuzzle of Manx's gun.

"Manx, put it down. Let him do what he wants," Himalayan said. Manx gave her a sharp glance. 

"I don't need your help," Aya angrily informed her, his violet eyes flashing. Aya then shot Manx a venomous look, which Manx ignored.

"Yeah, I know. But all the same…Manx, put the weapon down. We're being a little too conspicuous for comfort." Himalayan jerked her head towards the other customers in the shop who was now staring at them.

Aya felt the gun slip away. He gave both the two young women a hard glance, then returned to his seat.

Ken let out an explosive breath. "Wow, that was close."

Manx took a seat beside Omi. "I take it you are not getting along well," she remarked, looking at Aya's black-as-a-thundercloud face then at the others. Himalayan remained calm. Manx glanced sideways at Himalayan. "So, does this means you're not going to be working with them?" she asked Himalayan.

Himalayan tipped her head back. "Hmm…I guess could work with the other three but with Abyssinian here, I don't think so." She ignored the death glare Aya sent her. "He's too narrow-minded. He may be more than a burden than a help."

"Really?" Aya asked between clenched teeth.

She gave Aya a thoughtful look. "You judge people too easily, without even hearing their side." She glanced at the mirror. "You won't listen to me if I give suggestions or orders. That's not really a good thing for both of us and for the mission." Turning to face Aya, Himalayan smiled foppishly. "You don't like me, Abyssinian. And it's a well-known fact that it's hard to work with people who doesn't like you."

"How very perceptive of you," Aya retorted sarcastically, fists clenching.

Himalayan stood up, startling them. "So instead of wasting my time–time I should be spending on better things, I think I should leave. The only reason I wanted to meet you is to inform you that I'll be working in your territory. I just can't go on barging in like some arrogant ass, can I? Niceties should be observed." She picked up a brown duffel bag and was about to leave when Manx grabbed her hand. "Let go, Manx."

Manx shook her head. "No."

"I'm wasting my time here."

"No, you're not."

She glanced at the members of Weiβ. "I know they're really good, Manx. But it's hard working with people who will probably not obey or listen to you." She smiled apologetically at the three. "You're nice, really. I kind of like you but I don't think you'll be working without your friend here." Ken nodded wordlessly.

"Why don't you just go?" Aya muttered.

Himalayan's green eyes flashed. "See, I told you I'm wasting my time," she muttered to Manx. She glared at Aya. "Do you know what my mission is?" she suddenly asked him.

"No, but I have a feeling you'll tell me," Aya replied coldly.

"A few blocks away from here, there's a sex club. Now, do you know what their 'wares' are? They're little boys, boys barely out of babyhood–"

"Pedophiles?" Ken gasped, horrified. After all, he taught soccer to little boys. Youji was open-mouthed with shock while Omi's eyes were bulging.

Himalayan nodded gravely. Aya just continued glaring at her, but Ken noticed he seemed a little shocked himself. "So, I am not about to waste precious time trying to convince you to help–it's obviously a futile idea–when that time could have been spent to figure out a way to stop an old perverted man from shoving his ding-danged shaft into a helpless, crying kid's bleeding asshole," she told him in a quiet voice. She then faced Manx. "Goodbye, Manx. I'll see you quite soon." She swung her duffel bag.

"Wait."

It was Aya. She turned to him, then looked pointedly at the hand clamped on her wrist. Aya also pointedly ignored her unspoken request. "What?"

Aya glanced at the other members. He knew them long enough to know what they were thinking, well, at least most of the time. "We'll help."

"Will you fully cooperate with me?" she asked him.

"Within reason."

Himalayan gave Aya a dubious look. "Uh, I don't really know, but it's worth a try." Then much to Aya's surprise, she smiled at him.

"Now that that's been settled, can you please sit down now?" Manx gave Aya a puzzled look. Aya stared daggers at her then released his hold on Himalayan's wrist. He sat down once again.

Himalayan glanced at him, then at Manx. "I'll give the details of the mission later afternoon. The coffee shop is getting too crowded for comfort. By the way, I haven't introduced myself. Ohayou, I'm a Kritiker agent. My name's Patricia Deschanel. I'm going to work with you for a while."

"Deschanel?" Youji echoed, sounding a little confused. "But aren't you–"

A wry smile touched Patricia's lips. "Do you have any idea how many people–Abyssinian aside–want to blow my head off because I happen to be a Takatori?" She adjusted her baseball cap. "I have no intention of dying and using my infamous surname is almost a sure fire way for me to get killed. Believe me, it has happened quite a few times."

"Are you…well, are you really a Takatori?" Omi asked hesitantly, looking at her.

She grinned at Omi, making the young man blush slightly. "In the light of the recent events, yes, unfortunately, I am. And yes, Reiji and Shuuichi Takatori are my half-brothers," she answered. "My mother is our father's second legal wife."

"How old are you?" Youji asked bluntly.

"Twenty-one years old. Legal age."

"You look younger."

She glanced at her clothes. "Must be how I dress." She then stood up again. "Which reminds me, I have a baseball team to coach."

"A baseball team? Coaching? I thought you'd be studying," Manx remarked, surprised.

She nodded, her pigtails bouncing, making her look like an eager young girl. "Yeah, but I took a leave of absence to focus on you-know-what." She winked at Manx.

Manx sighed. "What a shame. This is your first year in medical school, right?"

"Second year," Patricia corrected, smoothing her shirt. 

"You're studying to be a doctor?" Ken wanted to know, surprised.

She gave him an odd look. "Yeah, I'm studying at Johns Hopkins on scholarship." She waved at Manx. "Ja, Manx. Gotta go!" She smirked at Aya then left, picking up her take-out on the counter then paying her bills.

The group watched her as she swung the duffel bag inside a red Ferrari convertible. Patricia then slid inside the car and drove away.

"That's a Takatori? That's Omi's aunt?" Ken demanded incredulously in a low voice.

"Yes, that's her. Patricia Deschanel." Manx shook her head. "She hasn't changed." Then she turned to Aya. "You should think before you move, Aya. That was a foolish thing you've done."

Aya did not reply. He was busy assessing his meeting with Patricia. He was usually cool and calm but the girl's attitude got into his skin. And her eyes…her eyes seemed to see everything. Aya did not like that.

"She seems to be very much experienced in operations like this," Youji observed. "She's also a good talker."

Manx smiled smugly at them. "Wouldn't be surprised. She's been working for Kritiker for nine years."

"Nine years? Then–" Youji paused for a moment, doing a mental subtraction. His eyes widened. "Then she would be twelve or something years old when she joined Kritiker!"

Manx shrugged. "I don't really know much of the details on how she joined up. You can ask her, if you like."

"We will."

****

~To Be Continued~

In the OVA, the guys sell their flowers in a van and seem to live in another town. As for Aya- kun not meeting or living with Aya- chan, well…I got that idea at the end of the TV anime series.

As you'll probably notice, this is going to be a long series. I just like to explore Weiβ a little bit more….

About Patricia…well, sorry to the Ran-Sakura fans out there…I just simply think Sakura Tomoe is not the one for Ran-kun, just like the way I think Kaoru Kamiya is Kenshin Himura's one true love and not Tomoe Yukishiro. Sakura's nice and very likable, but I didn't like the way she nearly caused Weiβ's obliteration by her (even if she had Ran's interests at heart) meddling. But this doesn't mean Patti is for Ran or is she…hmmm…I'll think about that….


	4. Chapter III B: Stirrings

****

Disclaimer: Do I really have to keep on putting this up?!? *Sighs* OK…here we go again. Weiβ Kreuz is owned by its owners (duh!)…My guess it would be Koyasu Takehito and his gang, along with An Assassin and White Shaman manga author Kyoko Tsuchiya …I do not, in any circumstances, own it. This is for ENTERTAINMENT purposes only. Suing me won't do you any good. I have no money…. I'm only in college, please…on scholarship…

****

Warning: This chapter contains very disturbing content. Please be reminded that this is a work of fiction.

****

Chapter III. B: Stirrings 

"No! Please! Don't hurt me!"

It was the voice of a young boy, perhaps seven or eight years old. It was a voice filled with pain, desperation and fear. There was a sudden rustle in the grassy empty lot as the young boy moved, trying to get away. The little boy could feel his heart pounding with fear.

"Little boy," a menacing voice said from the darkness. "You're not going to get away from me."

"Help!" the boy cried out with all his might when he saw a dark figure, the one he feared the most, coming closer to him. Then, he stumbled, falling helplessly to the ground.

"Ha! Ha! I got you now!" The dark figure was now looming over him, a feral smile on its lips. He slowly reached out his claw-like hands, ready to grab the boy.

Suddenly, out of nowhere, a blinding light appeared. The dark figure let out a loud cry. The boy shielded his eyes, then turned to the source of the light. The little boy let out a startled gasp.

Standing a few feet away from the little boy was a beautiful angel dressed in the purest white. She had long hair, a kindly face and a pair of green eyes like his. She gently took the little boy in her strong arms, her white wings brushing against his tired body, miraculously healing all his hurts. Then they flew far, far away from the dark figure….

"Daydreaming again, little boy?" A horrible, menacing voice rasped, bringing the boy back into reality. The little boy shot the man a look of utter contempt, for which he received a resounding blow on the face. The little boy fell back, but his eyes remained on the one who hit him.

The man picked him up by the scruff of the neck and lifted the little boy a few feet off the ground. The little boy struggled, but he kept his gaze. "A fiery one, aren't you?" the man asked, the wicked smile the little boy so disliked appearing on the man's cruel face again. "Should have disposed of you long ago, if you weren't the favorite plaything of our boss." 

The little boy spat on him, eyes blazing.

Letting out a loud roar of anger, the man swung back his fist, ready to knock the little boy unconscious. The boy merely glared at him, unafraid. The man would have succeeded in his intent if it hadn't been for the hand that grabbed the man's fist. "What the hell–"

"That child is an asset, Morgan," a quiet voice said from behind the man. A handsome blonde man stepped out of the shadows. "You will not do anything to hurt him."

Morgan lowered the still-glowering child. "He's trouble, Louis. You tolerate him too much." Morgan gave the child a dark look, then stalked away.

The little boy watched Morgan walk away for a moment, then turned to the blonde who was now kneeling in front of him. Young as he may be, the little boy was no innocent. He knew that beneath the man's quiet voice lay something twisted and monstrous. 

The blonde man smiled at the boy, the man's fingers toying with his brown hair. "Hmm…Morgan says I tolerate you too much." His fingers slid to the little boy's shoulder. The boy felt a sudden feeling of revulsion and dread at the touch. The little boy knew what was coming, and he knew he was powerless to stop him. The little boy then felt a sudden blow to the stomach, making the little boy double over. Eyes glazed with tears of pain and fear, he heard the blonde man murmur, "You are mine, little boy. _Mine_." Then the boy was suck into a world of darkness.

*******

The mission was simple enough. They would enter the sex club stealthily, find the bastards running it, kill them then get the hell out of the place before trouble arrives. However, since the victims–the kids, specifically the little boys, couldn't be just left alone so some help would be needed to deal with the kids' welfare. It came to the Weiβ members as a complete surprise when Patricia announced that, after their mission, Interpol would arrive and take care of that part in the mission.

"How did you arrange that?" Youji had demanded after she casually announced that piece of information.

Patricia gave him a steady look. "The European branch of Kritiker has often conducted similar deals with the legal agents of law-enforcement. The European intelligence and law-enforcement community is one the best in the world. There's hardly anything they don't know or can't do. Kritiker sort of co-exists with them, making deals that would benefit both Kritiker and the community. This is one of those deals. Interpol gets to arrest major sex offenders while Kritiker gets to kill the man it wants to eliminate."

"Sugoi," Omi had murmured to an equally astonished Ken. 

Back at the present time, Ken sneaked a glance at his teammates. Youji was busy testing his piano wire for strength. Omi was rather nervously preparing his poisoned darts. Aya was sitting in one corner of the van, gazing at his sword.

"Keep your eyes on the road, Ken," Youji reminded him, glancing up from his work. Ken looked embarrassed for a moment, then turned his attention back to the road. He heard Youji scold Omi, "Omittchi, your darts are fine. Stop messing with them unless you want to accidentally poison yourself." Ken hid a grin when Omi protested, resulting in another argument between the youngest member and the oldest member of Weiβ.

"Will you two knock it off?" Aya demanded. Youji and Omi glared at each other, but stopped arguing. Both knew better than to argue with Aya, especially if he was in a dark mood. 

Aya was indeed in a dark mood. He didn't like this mission, but that tomboy suckered him into it–or so that's what he tells himself. It went against his grain, working with a Takatori. Well…Omi was a technically aTakatori, but that's a different matter for Aya.

Omi looked at Aya, a frown on his young face. Aya had his poker face on while Patricia briefed them about the mission. Aya answered calmly when Patricia asked him questions, but Omi noticed his answers came from between clenched teeth. Omi had a strong feeling Aya and Patricia would clash wills very often, and that would prove to be a very uncomfortable future.

Omi's thought drifted back to the briefing yesterday afternoon. Patricia had arrived wearing a blue turtleneck and a long, flowery skirt. She still had her pigtails but the cap was gone. After a few customary greetings, business began. Omi was a bit awed on how well-researched and detailed the mission was. Patricia seemed to know everything, from what time was the changing of the guards to the exact location of the target. Patricia continuously wore a serious expression during the briefing. She answered questions and gave instructions in a low, husky voice.

Omi felt a surge of excitement and anticipation. He hadn't worked with a woman before–none of them did, with the exception of Youji. Manx sometimes helped but never this directly. Omi wondered how Patricia would look and act like in a mission.

"We're here, fellow kittens!" Ken announced cheerfully as he slowed the van into a quiet halt. He parked the van in a dark and empty alley. Weiβ Kreuz members stepped out of the vehicle, all their senses alert. Aya glanced around, unconsciously looking for Patricia. 

"I wonder where she is?" Ken murmured, also looking around.

"You're late," an amused voice from the darkness said. The group whirled to the direction where the voice came from. 

Patricia was sitting on an old wooden box. She was busy sipping something–coffee, Ken surmised. On her hand was a tiny cell phone. Beside her was a long staff made out of a material Ken couldn't identify from where he was. Her hair tied back into a low chignon, Patricia looked very serious. However, as she observed them, a wry smile touched her lips. "Nice clothes," she remarked, looking at them from head to toe.

"You're not bad-looking yourself," Youji retorted, eyeing her admiringly. Himalayan was wearing all-black clothes–a black blouse overlaid by a leather jacket and leather slit skirt that reached up to her knees. She wore a pair of almost knee-high leather boots. To complete her ensemble, she wore a pair of black leather gloves.

"Thanks." Setting down the papercup on the ground, Patricia stood up and walked towards them. She turned to Omi. "Have you 'fiddled' with their communication system?" she asked, pertaining to their target.

Omi nodded. "It was very difficult to break into, but I managed to hack into their systems. When I press the magic button, all of their communication and security systems will not work." 

"Great," she said, a small, satisfied smile appearing on her lips. She glanced at the rest of the Weiβ members. "We'll wait for the blackout to happen. We have to work fast, since our friends from the Interpol would come here in about an hour or earlier." She glanced at her watch, then faced at Omi. "We'll go into our positions first then when I give you the signal, you do your thing." She tugged her earlobe, on which she wore a gold earring. "Cool transceiver. It makes my ear itch like crazy, though."

"How come?" Ken asked, curious.

A comical smile lit her face. "I'm a little allergic to gold." She turned to Aya, who frowned at her. "So, shall we begin the mission?" she asked him, her gold-green eyes penetrating, as if she was gazing into his very soul.

Mentally kicking himself, Aya curtly nodded at her, signaling the start of the mission.

*******

The club was noisy today, much noisier than usual. Perhaps it was because there were so many customers today, drinking, dancing and chatting. All of them seemed to be very eager. Maybe it was because the customers knew that a new shipment of goods had just arrived, fresh and ready to be served to those who are willing to pay. They were probably more expensive than the usual ones, but these men were not quite troubled by that little problem.

The club, named as The Happy Hours, was situated near the end of the red- light district of the town. It had all the amenities needed by the customers–an area for dancing, for drinking, for eating and much more. It catered to the customers needs very well, making it a popular spot for those who frequent the area. But it was more well- known for its specialty: little boys.

The owner was a Frenchman by the name of Louis Delacroix. He was a devilishly handsome man with long blonde hair and ice blue eyes. He was also devilishly cunning. He managed to evade the law numerous times, going from one place to another to sell his goods. He had powerful connections, making it easy for him to slip away.

Right now, Louis was on the balcony of the seventh floor of the building, idly swirling the wine on his goblet. A small smile of satisfaction curled his lips. Business was good these past nights. And business would get better now that he had brought in some fresh new stock.

It was so easy to find them, so easy to lure them into his waiting trap. A little coaxing, a mouthful of promises of a new life and a thick bundle of money were usually enough to catch them, to control them. They were so innocent.

But that was what drew in his customers. The innocence of his goods. A deep laugh emerged from his throat. He remembered just how much pleasure he took as he gazed into the innocent eyes of his little playmate, watching that innocence shatter as he corrupted them with each touch, nip and thrust. It felt so good to hear their cries and whimpers of pain. They were like aphrodisiacs to him, heightening his desire.

Louis gulped down the last of his wine and went back to the room, setting down the goblet on a nearby table. He picked up a crystal decanter and walked to the edge of his bed.

On his bed was a boy of seven or eight. The boy may once have had a name, but it was forgotten through time. The boy had been four when Louis acquired him, and shortly became Louis's favorite. Louis couldn't quite put a finger on why he preferred this boy to the rest of the lot. Perhaps it was because of the way the boy resisted him with all his young might, his green eyes flashing with defiance. Whatever it was, Louis was undoubtedly attracted to the little boy.

The boy was now stripped naked, spread-eagled across Louis's bed. The little pale body was red with welts from Louis's whip. His mouth was slightly gagged; his hands and feet tied to the posts. Tear-tracks ran from his eyes, mute evidence of the pain he suffered. Louis grinned malevolently at the little boy as he slowly poured the wine from the decanter on the boy's body. The boy jerked, a muffled cry escaping from his mouth as the wine burned into his welts. Louis felt his need rising as he watched the little boy writhe under his torment.

Then the lights went down.

"What the HELL!" Louis half-shouted, frustration and irritation evident in his voice. A blackout, of all the time in the world! And on one of the club's best nights! Forgetting the boy, Louis groped his way through the darkness of the room, trying to find his way to the phone. When he finally found it, he picked it up, and dialed by memory the telephone number of the maintenance room. When he put the phone near his ear, it was then that he noticed that the phone did not seem to have a dial tone.

He stared at the phone in silent askance. The blackout had also affected the phone lines? _Mon Dieu, what can possibly go wrong next?_ Irritated, he tightened the belt of his silk robe and decided to go down to the maintenance room himself. It was a disgraceful thing for an owner to do, but it had to be done if he wanted to get results.

Then, as suddenly as the lights gone out, the lights went back on, but far dimmer than moments before the blackout. Louis let out an exasperated sigh. _Mechanics! They are so incompetent!_ He whirled around, stomping towards the phone when he suddenly stopped in his tracks.

A tall redhead in a purplish-black trench coat stood menacingly a few feet away from Louis. The unexpected guest's face was emotionless. His violet eyes were fixed on Louis, like a ferocious animal locking on its prey. Louis felt his blood run cold when he saw the young man was holding a katana.

"And pray tell, who might you be?" Louis inquired smoothly, hiding his nervousness.

The cerise-haired man did not answer. Instead, he calmly unsheathed his sword and moved swiftly towards the now-alarmed Louis.

Louis evaded the still-unknown man's attack with notable skill. Louis immediately dashed towards a nearby table and grabbed the long, spiked whip he had used earlier on the boy. His confidence returning, he faced the young man. He smiled at the redhead maliciously. "So you want to play," Louis almost purred. Without warning, he cracked his whip, hurling its sharp, spiked edge towards the redhead.

_K'so!_ Aya swore to himself as he dodged the attack. The whip smashed into a table filled with expensive vases, sending bits of wood and porcelain flying through the air. He hated fighting with whips. They were just too difficult to fight with. Aya gripped his katana tightly, eyes trained on the man. 

Louis cracked his whip once more. Aya evaded it, then moved in. Aya's katana found its mark, Louis's arm.

Louis screamed as excruciating pain followed the wounding of his right hand. Blood spurted from the wound, spilling on the plush carpeted floor. Now it would nearly be impossible for him to wield the whip.

Louis glanced up. The redhead was advancing towards him, cold violet eyes narrowed. "What do you want?" Louis demanded, voice hoarse with fear. Louis glanced at the door. Surely, someone must have heard–no, it was impossible. Louis had soundproofed the room so that he would not be disturbed by the noises coming from downstairs and vice-versa. He had thought it was a clever idea back then, but now, at this moment, he didn't think it was clever anymore. Louis could scream as loud as he can, but no one would hear him. "Do you want money?" Louis rasped to his soon-to-be murderer. "I have much. I will–"

"I don't think he would be interested in your money, Delacroix," a familiar voice suddenly said harshly. Louis shook his head, trying to clear his blurred vision. He saw a figure step out from behind the titian-haired young man. His eyes widened in recognition.

"You!" Louis shouted when he saw who the figure was. It was a young woman. "I should have known!" Rage welled up from inside him, making Louis go beyond rationality. With an animal-like cry, Louis launched the whip towards the girl, forgetting his own wound. The whip wrapped around the staff the girl was holding.

With a flicker of annoyance crossing her face, the young woman quickly jerked her staff towards her, sending Louis stumbling. Louis then felt something sharp bury itself into his abdomen, making him double over with pain. Eyes glazed, he stared at the girl. Her gold-green eyes took on an amber hue in its coldness. He instinctively flinched from that gaze. Then there was a soft whistling in the air. Louis looked up to see a flash of light.

It would be the last thing he would ever see.

*******

The head and the body dropped with a soft thud, with the head rolling a few feet away from Louis's headless body. The plush carpeted floor was quickly soaked with Louis's blood.

Patricia loomed over the body, observing it with clinical detachment. Then she glanced at Aya, whose face was as impassive as ever. She then touched her earring. "Siberian, this is Himalayan," she said to Ken, who, along with Youji, was somewhere in the lower floors of the building, taking care of some of the guards. "Mission is completed."

"Got that. Balinese and I are through as well," Ken replied. "Bombay tells me we have to move fast. Cavalry's coming," Youji suddenly informed them, breaking into the conversation.

"Roger on that one." Patricia turned to Aya, who was busy wiping off the blood on his katana. Patricia then heard a soft groan. She turned to its source. She gave a sharp hiss of breath when she saw the spread-eagled boy on Louis's bed.

"Bastard," she whispered softly to herself as she bent over to pull out a small sharp knife hidden in her boot. She stared at the boy for a moment. He was quite a beautiful young boy, about seven to eight years old with brown hair and deep green eyes. The boy was staring at her as she began to cut the ropes that so cruelly bound the boy to the bed.

The boy sat up on the bed with a bit of help from her. She sat beside him. He winced. Patricia turned to a disapproving Aya. "Find something to cover him," she told the redhead. Aya stared at her for a moment, then went in search for a coat.

"You…angels?" the boy asked Patricia in a heavily accented voice. "You come to…save us?" The boy saw Louis's headless body and his severed head. "You kill him," he noted with satisfaction. He glanced back at the young woman? Was she the angel he had been dreaming about, the one that would save them from Louis? Her eyes were green, and she had long black hair. Was she the one?

"He's not going to hurt you anymore," Patricia told him grimly. The boy gave her a gaze that she found…intriguing. "And no, we're not exactly angels."

She smiled at the boy, whispering words to further assure the little boy of his deliverance from the bastard Louis. Aya listened to her for a moment, then wordlessly handed her a small coat. The boy turned to Aya and managed to give him a weak smile. "Thank you," the little boy whispered in a hoarse voice. "My–my…friends, th– they–"

Patricia gently shushed the boy as she helped him put on the coat. The boy was trembling with pain, anger relief and other assorted emotions. "You and your friends will be all right." She paused, pushing away a lock of hair from the boy's forehead. "We have to go," she said, standing up. She had to hush the little boy once again when he panicked at her words. "Don't worry. No one will hurt you anymore. Listen to me." She tilted the boy's chin to face her. "Some people will come here. They won't hurt you. They will be the ones who will care for you."

"They not hurt us?" the boy asked in a tremulous voice.

"No. And if they do, they will answer to me." Patricia then faced Aya and nodded. "We better leave." Much to Aya's surprise and annoyance, Patricia placed a soft kiss on the boy's hair. "Be well, little one," she murmured.

The light suddenly went off again, then came back on after a few seconds.

The boy blinked. The two were gone.

*******

"Great work, fellow kittens!" Ken said to Aya and Patricia when they arrived at the rendezvous point which was located a few blocks away from the club. From there, they heard the sudden wail of sirens. "You're late, though."

"That was a close one," Youji remarked. "What took you so long?"

"A boy was in Delacroix's room," Patricia replied, looking straight at Youji. "He needed help." She did not bother to elaborate.

"Oh."

Eyes narrowed, Aya turned to Patricia. "The boy might compromise us."

"I doubt that, Abyssinian. He won't say a word about us. And Interpol would not be stupid enough as to anger the human-rights people by forcing a sexually-abused minor into confessing," she said in clipped tones. 

There was a moment of silence. She then glanced at her watch. She whipped out her cell phone and started dialing. "Hello? Yeah, it's me. I need to talk to Marianas." The men watched with consternation as Patricia seemed to be listening for a moment. "Danke," she suddenly whispered. The Weiβ members gave her an odd look. Patricia simply smiled at them, her dimples showing for the first time. Then she frowned. "It's uh, me. Yeah, we got the bugger. Interpol's already in the scene." She covered the phone's mouthpiece. "It's the head of the Euro branch. I need to tell him that the mission was a success," she explained to the baffled young men in a slightly apologetic voice.

"Ah," Omi muttered, understanding at last.

Patricia resumed her conversation with the head of the European branch. "How's it going there?" She paused for a moment, listening for a moment. Then they saw her eyes widen briefly. Then it narrowed. She muttered something–a curse word, Ken surmised, judging from the grim look on her face.

Ken marveled at that ability–the ability to shift moods rapidly. Patricia wasn't alone on that. Both Birman and Manx were capable of lightning-fast mood changes–from being cheerful to being dead serious in a blink of an eye. _What is it, some kind of standard operating procedure for women agents?_ Ken mused. _Or is just a girl thing?_

"I see," Ken heard Patricia say. "Do you want me there? I can still catch the last flight t–" Her brows knitted together. "No? Orders from upstairs, I presume?" She gave a sigh. "OK. I understand. I'll call you later. Yeah, thanks. Be well," she said. She stared at the cell phone for a few moments then whirled around to face Weiβ. "Sorry for the delay. Let's get out of here before some smart guy sees us and figures out who and what we are." She walked briskly towards the van. She arched an eyebrow at them when only Aya moved. "Well?" she prompted.

Ken, Youji and Omi stared at each other. It was clear that Patricia wasn't going to give any details about what that conversation was all about.

She sat on the front seat of the van, eyes looking straight ahead. Ken glanced at her briefly, wondering once again what was that phone call all about. It had to be serious. "Hidaka-san, eyes on the road, onegai," she abruptly said, looking at him. Ken flushed and returned his attention to the road.

They drove silently. Youji noticed Patricia had her eyes closed. Was she sleeping? he wondered. "Uhm, Himalayan?" he asked tentatively.

"Yeah, Balinese?" she replied in a neutral voice. He eyes remained shut as she spoke.

"Why did you, uh join Kritiker?"

"What about you? What made you join Kritiker?" she shot back in a quiet voice, startling Youji with its directness. She then opened her eyes and looked at him.

Youji stared at her, unable to answer.

She smiled a wistful smile at him. "You can't tell me, can you? Well, let's say the same goes for me." She then turned to Ken. "Stop the van," she ordered abruptly.

Ken gave her a puzzled look. "You sure?"

"Yeah."

Ken stopped the van. She nimbly stepped out of the van, carrying her staff with her. "I'll go home from here. I'd rather not ride with you." She gave Aya a charming smile, not to charm him, Omi suspected, but more to irritate him. "Not that I have any objections on riding with four handsome young men. But I suspect there's going to be a lot of awkward questions and unfortunately, I am not in the mood to answer them." She then turned to Omi, gazing at him with unusual intensity. Omi's eyes widened. "We'll talk soon, Mamoru. Be well." She waved at a stunned Omi then disappeared into the darkness.

_She knows_, Omi thought. _Patricia knows I am the youngest son of Reiji Takatori. But how? For how long?_ Omi was about to jump out of the van and follow her when Youji grabbed his wrists. Incredulous, Omi gave Youji a hard glare. 

"Omittchi, calm down. I don't think she'll appreciate you following her. She said you'd talk soon. Wait, OK?" Youji told the youngest member of Weiβ. Omi weighed Youji's words for a moment, then he nodded.

Aya scowled at the two. He turned to Ken. "Get moving," he growled. Ken nodded and restarted the engine. It was going to be a long drive home.

*******

It had been almost a week since the mission on Louis Delacroix. His death had been on the front page of newspapers for the week, filling in the people of the grisly details of his death. There had been subsequent investigations on who killed Delacroix but as usual, the investigators found themselves at a dead end.

No new missions were given to Weiβ after the mission on Delacroix. For the rest of the week, they did not see Patricia, causing Omi some degree of confusion and worrying.

It was another beautiful morning when the Weiβ members opened their flower shop on wheels, as Ken put it once. The sky was cloudless and the weather was finally warming. And as usual, a horde of girls was around their van, some of them buying flowers but most of them were just there, staring and squealing at the sight of the boys.

"Are you going to buy or not?" Aya demanded irritably to a bunch of squealing girls. They girls just squealed harder. 

"Now, Ayan, that's not a nice way to treat young ladies. They're potential customers, you know," Youji pointed out as he handed a mixed bouquet of flowers to a pretty young woman. Youji whispered something to her, which made the girl laugh. When she handed her payment, Aya noticed a strip of paper among the bills. Aya just shook his head in exasperation. He didn't need to be psychic to figure out what was on that paper.

"Can I have a dozen white roses?" a disturbingly familiar voice asked. Aya's head snapped up. He then found himself staring at a pair of gold-green eyes.

"Well?" Patricia Deschanel prompted, looking expectantly at Aya. Aya narrowed his eyes, discreetly studying her. She was wearing a cream-colored, flower-printed dress that fell just above her knees paired with a knitted white cardigan. She wore her hair down, her hair falling into soft curls down to her waist. Right now, she looked completely beautiful, Aya had to admit. And completely innocent looking.

Aya grunted as a reply, turning to Omi, whose face suddenly brightened up. Patricia gave Omi a small smile.

Out of nowhere, Youji appeared with a flourish, handing Patricia a red rose. Patricia thanked him, then she turned to Aya. "Can I have a dozen white roses?"

As usual, Aya gave her a death glare, which she ignored. Aya had a feeling she was deliberately trying to irritate him–and she was succeeding. He took out a dozen white roses, carefully wrapped it and then wordlessly handed it to her. When Patricia was about to pay, Aya said curtly, "It's for free."

Everyone gave them an odd look. Patricia appeared puzzled for a moment and then she gave Aya a knowing smile. "How gallant of you, Fujimiya-san," she murmured dryly, as she took the blooms. Aya merely gave her a cool look, not wanting to be goaded into a word fight with her. 

"Your favorite flowers?" Ken inquired as he handed an adoring but annoying girl her change.

"Iie. It's for something else." She sniffed the flowers. "They smell nice, don't they, Manx?" she asked, whirling around to face the surprised red- headed woman.

*******

"What's up, Manx?" Youji asked, plopping himself on the couch. "You didn't have to come here, you know. All you have to do is call me if you want a date with me."

"In your dreams, Youji," Manx retorted sweetly. Behind her, Patricia laughed.

"You didn't have to do that," Youji muttered in an injured tone, shooting Patricia an accusing look. Patricia merely laughed harder.

"Let's get to business, shall we?" Manx said in a brisk, no-nonsense voice, sitting on a nearby wooden chair.

They were back in the apartment now, ready to hear what Manx had to say. It was quite difficult for the Weiβ members to close down the flower shop because many of the girls complained on how early their closing was. The group had to fight its way towards their van and it took several minutes to disperse the crowd.

"This must be very important," Ken grunted, seating himself beside Youji. Omi sat on an armchair. Curiously, Aya and Patricia remained standing.

"It is." Manx turned to a suddenly quiet Patricia. "You've heard?"

Patricia nodded. "Just this morning."

"Heard what?" Ken demanded.

"The head of the European branch is dead," Manx informed them.

"Nani?" Omi's eyes widened. "Since when?"

"A few hours ago," Patricia supplied in a calm voice. Everyone's head turned to look at her. "Have they picked a new head yet?" she asked Manx.

"Yes. K2 got the job. He's the former second-in-command along with you, right?"

Patricia nodded. "Good. K2's much better on leadership skills than me. Any orders?"

"You are to stay in Japan for an indefinite period of time."

A wry smile twisted Patricia's lips. "Big surprise. What am I to do here?"

"You are to become the newest member of Weiβ Kreuz."

****

~To Be Continued~

Yay! I finally finished it! This is going to be a long fic so please, bear with me. I'll try to make it worth your time. By the way, thanks to whoever owns the website Aya no Weiβ for its translations of Weiβ Manga. It helped me with a lot of lines. Danke! (which is German for thank you…I think).


	5. Chapter III C: Himalayan

****

Disclaimer: You know the drill. I don't own Weiβ and Gravitation, I don't make money with this fanfiction and I don't want to be sued.

****

Chapter III. C: Himalayan

Omi stared with consternation at the towering brown boxes blocking his way towards his apartment. _A new occupant?_ he said to himself. _Who could it be?_ The apartment beside Ken's had been empty. And now someone was moving in. _I wonder who–_

"Omi, watch out!" a feminine voice shouted.

"Huh?" Omi looked up to see a brown box toppling towards his direction. Not wanting to repeat his recent accident, Omi quickly jumped away. The box landed with a dull thud, spilling its contents all over the floor.

"Are you all right?" the feminine voice asked. To Omi's amazement, Patricia peered out from between the boxes. She was wearing an apron over her clothes and a bandanna on her head. "Did the box hit you?"

Omi shook his head. 

__

With an audible grunt, Patricia knelt on the floor to pick up the spilled contents. Omi also bent down to help her. "Uh…um," Omi began, unsure on what to call her. He couldn't very well call her 'auntie', could he?

"Yes?" she asked, turning to face him.

"What are you doing here?" he blurted out, face reddening with embarrassment. 

Patricia gave him a puzzled look. "Don't you remember? Manx wanted me to be accessible to you guys, so she made me live in the apartment where you live. I'm just moving in." She gestured towards the stack of boxes.

"Oh." Omi remembered it now. Patricia was now one of them, a member of Weiβ Kreuz.

Her acceptance hadn't been all that smooth, to say the very least. Aya protested by giving Manx and Patricia several death glares, but he basically kept his opinion to himself. The others were not as reticent as Aya. Omi grimaced as he recalled the conversation that ensued after Manx made that astonishing announcement.

"Are you insane?!?" Youji had demanded to Manx as he sprang to his feet, green eyes wide. 

"No, I'm not."

Omi had glanced from Aya to Patricia. They were both silent and expressionless. "But–but–" Omi sputtered, suddenly at a loss for words.

"But what, Omi?" Manx inquired archly.

"Well, uh…you know that–" Omi cast Aya another discreet glance. Aya obviously still had a lot of unresolved issues with Takatoris, having one of them–although Aya had somehow disregarded the fact that Omi _is_ a Takatori–was difficult enough for Aya, to have two of them in the team might be a little too much for him.

"Aya wouldn't mind, would he?" Manx asked the unspoken leader of Weiβ Kreuz, turning to him with challenging eyes. Aya gave her a level stare but said nothing. Patricia gave a derisive laugh. Manx then faced the others, whose mouths hung open. "It's settled then. She's in the team."

"Wait a minute, Manx! We haven't agreed yet!" Ken protested, standing up as well. He cast Patricia an apologetic glance. "It's not that we have any doubts on her abilities as a, uh–"

"Assassin," Patricia supplied with great aplomb, arching her eyebrows at Ken, an amused look on her face.

Ken blushed faintly for a moment. "She's good, I mean but–but–"

"I happen to be a Takatori, so therefore, I am not to be trusted," Patricia cut in.

"Well…not exactly, but–" 

"But what, Ken?" Manx put her hands on her hips. "Unless you can come up with a good reason why she shouldn't join Weiβ, she stays with you."

The others then turned to Aya for guidance, waiting for his opinion. "As long as she follows my rules, she's in the team," Aya said in an icy voice. 

Everyone was stunned by his announcement, except for Patricia. She was staring at Aya, her eyes narrowed. Aya looked straight at her. Then they both looked away.

"And I have absolutely no say in this?" Patricia wanted to know.

"No," Manx replied in a firm voice.

"Then I am not going to waste my breath arguing. When do I start?"

Manx tossed Patricia a set of keys which Patricia caught easily. "This is the keys to your apartment."

"Her apartment?" Ken's eyes widened. "You mean, she's going to be staying at–"

A small smile touched Manx's lips. "Yes, Ken. She's going to be your new neighbor."

And that was what brought Patricia Deschanel here in their apartment building.

After stuffing all the spilled contents back into the box, Patricia picked up the box quite easily and headed for the door, pausing for a moment to ask Omi, "Is there something you wanted to see me for?"

Omi started. Here was his chance to ask her about his forgotten past. He nodded.

"Then come inside. It's still a mess, but I bet we can handle it."

"We?" Omi asked, confused. Then his eyes widened when he saw the room. It was bigger than his apartment; heck, it's probably the biggest apartment in the building. It was also filled with a lot of dust and cobwebs. White sheets still covered some of the furniture. "You mean, I'm going to help you clean up?"

"Naturally. You're here anyway, so why waste the opportunity?" She smiled at him, a girlish sort of smile, dimples deepening. "You wouldn't mind, would you?" she asked in an imploring voice.

Omi glanced at the room then at Patricia's sweet, pleading face. It was going to take a long while to clean up her apartment. With a sinking feeling inside his stomach, he said, "Not really."

As if by magic, Patricia handed him a facemask, an apron, a bandanna and a duster. "Thanks. I appreciate it." Putting the box down at a nearby table, she looked around and pursed her lips. "We better start dusting the living room." Then she turned to Omi. "So, what do you want to know? You can ask me as we clean up the house, so we don't waste any time. Is that OK with you?"

Omi shrugged. "All right." He headed for the window blinds. "So, um, how did you know that I'm Mamoru?"

Patricia picked up what appeared to be a long pole with a broom on its end and began sweeping the cobwebs off the ceiling. "You look like him. Besides, Shuuichi-niisan told me that you were alive, working for Kritiker and a member of Weiβ Kreuz."

"How long have you known?" 

"For several years now."

There was a sudden, tense silence between them. "Why didn't my father pay for the ransom?" Omi finally asked in a quiet voice.

Patricia stopped sweeping the cobwebs and turned to him. She closed her eyes. "I don't know, Omi," she replied slowly. "I was about thirteen when you were kidnapped. I remember that during that time Reiji-niisan was making a name for himself in politics as a staunch adversary of any form of terrorism–kidnap for ransom, bombings–you know, the whole lot of it." An ironic smile twisted her lips. "When the kidnappers asked for ransom, he flatly refused to pay for it. I never found out why he did that–maybe to enhance his political image or whatever. He just didn't pay." 

"What happened after Oto–Reiji didn't pay?"

"We panicked. We were so worried about you, especially Oneesan–Reiji's wife, your mother. We begged him to pay the ransom but he wouldn't listen." She clenched her fists tightly, obviously trying to control her emotions. 

"How did Shuuichi–Oji-san find me?" Omi sat down on one of the covered chairs, his knees suddenly weak.

"During that time, Shuuichi was working with the police, I think, and was busy trying to figure out where the hell you were. When he found out Reiji wouldn't pay the ransom, Shuuichi-niisan took matters into his own hands. He asked the help of Kritiker–he was sort of a member by that time–to locate you. He found you and well–"

"He raised me as a killer," Omi interrupted bitterly.

"Actually, I didn't find out you were alive until when I was fifteen years old." She shook her head. "I really don't know what the hell possessed Shuuichi-niisan to train you to be an assassin. Perhaps it was his form of revenge."

Suddenly bewildered, Omi queried sharply "Revenge?" 

Patricia shrugged and returned to sweeping off the cobwebs. "Your mother and Shuuichi-niisan were sweethearts. Unfortunately, Reiji–I don't know how he did it– married her instead."

"He wanted to avenge that?" Somehow, Omi didn't think that was reason enough.

Patricia took a deep breath. "Not exactly." She gave Omi a thoughtful but nonetheless sad look. "You're still very young, Omi. You still don't understand how emotions affect a person. Shuuichi-niisan loved Oneesan very much. It was for her sake that he looked so frantically for you. Unfortunately," she paused, voice suddenly tight. "Oneesan killed herself before you could be found. It was Shuuichi-niisan who found her body."

"What?" Omi was stunned. "But she died of sick–"

"That was what Reiji said and put on the official reports. Mustn't damage his political reputation," she mimicked in a harsh voice. "Needless to say, Reiji-niisan won the elections, thanks to public sympathy and all that nonsense." There was bitterness in her voice as she spoke. "After that, Shuuichi-niisan became a full-fledged and very devoted member of Kritiker and raised and trained you to be…Omi."

Omi was silent for a moment. "Did he love me?" he asked in a broken voice. _You're not wanted,_ a jeering voice said. _Your father didn't want you. And because of you, your mother killed herself. That's why your uncle turned you into a killer._

She dropped the broom and went to his side. She put an arm around his trembling shoulders. "Reiji doesn't know what love really is. All he knows is power. I wouldn't shed any tears for him. He's not worth it," she told him firmly. "As for your mother, her demise was not, in anyway, your fault. Reiji is the one to blame here, not, and never, you. As for Shuuichi, I think he did genuinely care for you."

"Did you care for him?" Omi asked curiously. "Reiji, I mean?"

Her face hardened for a moment. "He's my brother," she said simply. Smiling comfortingly, Patricia gave him a tight hug. "I'm very happy to see you again. I missed you. You were my favorite nephew, you see."

"Really?" Omi found her touch strangely comforting.

"Of course. You were the most fun among the four Takatori siblings." She released her grip on him. "Come on. Let's finish cleaning my apartment. It'll take your mind off things." She handed him his duster. "After this, I'll whip up something nice for both of us, ne?"

Omi smiled. "Yeah, uh–"

"Try Patti. Don't call me auntie, please."

His smile turned into a grin. "Hai, Patti-san!"

*******

Youji parked his car–a classic racecar-style Super 7–into the garage carefully. He loved this baby of his and didn't want any scratches on it. As soon as he turned off the engine, he stepped off the car and headed for his apartment.

Normally, he would have a girl with him, but today, he didn't bring anyone with him. He didn't know why, but he just simply didn't feel like sleeping with a girl right now. _I really must be tired_, he mused. Slowly, he headed for his apartment. As he was climbing up the stairs, he heard the sound of laughter.

Looking around, he saw that the door of the apartment beside Ken's was thrown open. _Why–oh, yeah, Deschanel's moving in today_, he remembered with a slight frown.

Youji hadn't been all that enthusiastic at the prospect of working with her. It wasn't because she was a Takatori, but because she was a woman.

He had worked with a woman before–the only woman he had ever truly loved–and she was dead. Asuka. She had been Youji's partner back when he was still a private detective. He had loved her, but never got around to telling her. Fate had brought them together once again, this time as enemies. Youji nearly had her in his grasp but she was snatched away by death once more, this time by Youji's own hands.

He still had nightmares about it, nights when he would wake up shouting soundlessly, his body drenched with sweat. Asuka's face haunted him almost wherever he went, even in his sleep.

Having Patricia on the team would most probably bring back memories of Asuka. The two women were different, of course. Patricia had more delicate-looking features while Asuka was a bit tougher looking. What they had in common was something Youji couldn't exactly nail down. Perhaps it was the similarity of their jobs. Or maybe because they obviously had strong wills. Whatever it was, it was sure to haunt Youji.

Unable to restrain his curiosity, Youji peeked inside Patricia's apartment.

She and Omi were sitting comfortably in the couch, drinking and eating. They were talking animatedly. For a moment, Youji studied them. There was no doubt that they were related. They both had the same delicate look about them, making them look younger than their age. Youji's gaze shifted to Omi. Omi was laughing–Omi always was–but Youji noticed something different in Omi's eyes, a strange sparkle in them. Without knowing why, a smile lifted the corners of Youji's mouth.

"What are you doing, Youji-kun?" Ken asked, appearing from behind Youji suddenly.

Youji gave a slight jump. "Ken, don't do that. You nearly scared the hell out of me." Youji gave Ken a dark look.

Ken raised his eyebrows. "OK. But what are you doing here?"

"Snooping, perhaps?" Patricia drawled. She gave a little giggle when both Ken and Youji jumped. She crossed her arms in front of her chest, a feigned stern look on her face.

"I wasn't snooping. I was admiring you," Youji said. "You look nice."

Patricia arched an eyebrow. "You can come up with a better excuse than that, Kudou-san." She gave Ken a slight smile. "I didn't mean to scare you, Hidaka-san."

"Hey, how come Ken gets an apology and I don't?" Youji complained.

"He's my neighbor. You're not," she pointed out. "Besides, he wasn't snooping like you were."

"I. Wasn't. Snooping."

She shrugged and rolled her eyes. "Whatever." She gave them another one of her charming smiles, the one that made her dimples stand out. "Do you want to come in? The apartment's still a mess, but we managed to get it cleaned up a little."

"Ah–sure," Ken agreed. "Yo, Omittchi!" Ken waved at the youngest member of Weiβ, who was busy eating a chocolate chip cookie. Omi nodded his head as a form of acknowledgement.

Ken looked around the room. Everything seemed to be in its proper place. The place was actually nicer and bigger than his apartment. _Manx had to be biased to give her this unit_, Ken mused to himself. "What a nice, big place."

"Do you want some chocolate chip cookies?" Patricia asked, holding out a tray filled with mouth-watering chocolate chip cookies. "I baked them myself."

"Is there no end to your talents, Deschanel-san?" Youji teased, taking a bite off a cookie. "It tastes great! Better than the ones bought at a store!" Ken could only nod in agreement, his mouth too full of cookies to reply.

"Thank you," she said a little girlishly. "I wanted to make some rice cakes but I don't have the proper tools and know-how, so I made these instead."

"You should ask Ken or Omi. They're the cooks in the group," Youji suggested. He looked around the room admiringly. "A mess? I don't think so. The room looks nice."

Patricia handed Youji a glass of juice, which he gratefully accepted. "Kudou-san, please stop teasing me."

"I'm not teasing you. I'm telling the plain truth," Youji defended as he winked at Omi.

"If that were the plain truth, I shudder to think what your compliments would sound like," Patricia retorted, as she patted Youji on the shoulder and gave him a knowing smile that left him completely baffled.

"Do you want any more cookies?" she asked them, looking pointedly at the empty tray.

"Uh, yeah," Ken said in a somewhat abashed voice. "Sorry. It tasted too good, I guess."

"It's OK, Hidaka-san. I made a lot of cookies anyway. I couldn't eat it all by myself, you know," she said with a slight laugh.

"Are you on a diet?" Youji asked, glancing pointedly at her body.

Patricia made a long face. "No. I've never been on a diet." She looked down at her body. "I'm thin enough already."

"Which probably means you have to fatten up," a familiar feminine voice said. They all turned to where the voice came from. A flame-haired woman stood in front of Patricia's door, holding a large envelope. 

"Hello, Manx. Nice of you to drop by. Want some cookies?" Youji offered.

*******

****

Aya watched with narrowed eyes as Patricia sat demurely beside Omi, her hands clasped in front of her. He studied the two of them, noting their resemblance.

Aya didn't know what possessed him to even agree to have Patricia into their team. He didn't like her. He had a feeling she was hiding something, something Aya and the rest of them should know. She's a Takatori, all right, he said to himself. _Deceptive_.

"This would be your first mission with them, ne?" Manx was asking Patricia. "As a member of Weiβ, I mean." She paused a bit as Patricia nodded in response to her question. "By the way, how was the apartment?"

She glanced at Aya, a challenge in her gold-green eyes. But before Aya could react, she looked back at Manx. "The apartment was very nice. A bit too big for my needs, though," Patricia remarked.

"I'll trade you," Youji suggested. "I'll give my pad in exchange for yours. It's the one beside Aya's."

"Ah–no thanks, Kudou-san." Patricia gave Aya another swift glance. "But I more or less want to prolong my already shortened life span."

Manx raised her eyebrows at her remark. Then, videotape in hand, she inserted the tape into the VCR. After a few minutes, Persia's image popped onto the screen.

"I don't know why you still keep on using Shuuichi-niisan's image, Manx," Patricia asked critically. "I mean, you do have a new Persia, as I recall."

"It's a tribute to him," Manx replied in a calm voice.

"I didn't know you had a sentimental streak, Manx." Patricia looked at Manx straight in the eye as she spoke. Manx returned her gaze coolly. Patricia smiled mysteriously, then turned back to the screen.

"White Assassins," Persia was saying. "Your new target is prominent businessman Raizo Tanaka." The screen showed a picture of a handsome raven-haired young man entering a black limousine, surrounded by numerous bodyguards.

"Raizo Tanaka? Doesn't he own a string of drug companies?" Ken asked aloud.

"He is the CEO of Tanaka Drug Corporation, one of Japan's leading producer of medicines and other drugs. However, most of the company's profits does not come from making medicines, but from the production and distribution of psychoactive drugs. Unknown to many, Tanaka is the leader of a charismatic cult, Shiro," Persia continued. "Shiro is a cult which has numerous members, most of them misguided teenagers. The cult doesn't seem to have any religious teachings, but its members spend its time trying out the latest psychoactive drug. Unknown to the members, they are being used by Tanaka as test subjects for his experimental drugs. Many teenagers have died or have become sick because of this. White Assassins, it is up to you to bring justice to Tanaka's victims. You must destroy his illegal drug laboratory. White hunters of evil, hunt the futures of these dark beasts." Then the screen went black.

Manx handed them several folders. "All you need to know about Tanaka are in those folders.

"How does he slip past the law so easily?" Omi asked as he scanned the contents of the folder.

"He's a major contributor of campaign funds." It was Patricia who answered his question. "The politicians who received money from him protect him."

Manx lifted her chin. "I take it that you know him."

She shrugged. "I've met him several times, usually at Reiji-niisan's parties. He's one of Reiji-niisan's staunchest supporter and campaign fund contributor. I doubt he remembers me."

"Make him remember," Manx told her calmly.

Patricia was silent for a moment, then she looked at Manx. "It's going to be an I'll-close-my-eyes-lie-back-and-think-of-Kritiker mission, isn't it?" she asked in a neutral voice.

Manx was just silent. Patricia managed a wry smile. "I'll see what I can do," Patricia said. 

"By the way, how come Birman hasn't been showing her face around?" Ken asked.

Manx shrugged. "Birman got transferred a few days ago. I have no idea where she is."

"Where does Tanaka usually hang out?" Youji asked, looking up from his reading. 

"He's usually spotted in a well-known club nearby. It's in the folder," Manx replied. "Payment is as usual. Just remember–"

"Yeah, yeah," Youji interrupted smoothly. "We'll die first before we fail a mission."

Manx gave him a withering glare, then left without a backward glance.

"That was smooth, Yotan," Ken said acidly. "You had to irritate her."

Youji shrugged rather carelessly. "It gives me something to do." Youji then turned to the other members of Weiβ. "So, what are we going to do?"

"I'll come up with a plan tomorrow. I still need to study the data in these folders," Omi replied. "Then I have to do some research on the Internet."

"For now, we should have some kind of surveillance on Tanaka's activities," Aya said in his deep voice.

"I'll handle that," Patricia volunteered. The rest looked at her. "We're sort of acquaintances anyway. Besides, I'm going to be in the club he frequents tonight."

"If you want to," Aya said curtly, eyes narrowed. Aya turned to Ken and Youji. "I want you to find out more about the cult." Youji and Ken nodded.

"Uh–I just want to warn you, anything you plan, please try to put into consideration that Tanaka has a lot of highly trained bodyguards," Patricia reminded them.

Youji gave her a rakish smile. "We've dealt with armed bodyguards before. This is going to be a piece of cake." 

"I wouldn't go that far. Youji-kun," Omi said diffidently. "The job's routine, Patti-san."

Patricia lifted her shoulders. She sighed. "Oh, well." She stood up and glanced at her watch. "I better leave if I were to go to the club. Bad Luck's playing and I really want to catch their performance."

Ken's eyes widened. "Bad Luck? I'm a big fan of that group. I met their singer, Shuuichi Shindou, on a concert. He's great. He looks a lot like Omi."

Patricia threw her surprised nephew a rueful glance. "You and Shuuichi both act and look like each other, though Shuuichi is a bit more genki than you are." She looked at her watch again, a frown on her face. "I'll see if I can renew old acquaintances with Tanaka. Right now, I have to go." With that promise spoken, she left.

"Why do I get the feeling that she knows a lot more than she's telling us?" Youji murmured to Aya.

Aya just narrowed his eyes. "Keep watch on her." Youji nodded in agreement.

*******

The club was already crowded when Patricia got there. She slowly pushed her way into the crowd, craning her neck a little as she scanned the room for familiar faces. 

"Angélique-chan!" A familiar voice shouted. Patricia smiled ruefully. She knew without looking who the owner of the voice was. A fond smile lit her face as she watched a pink-haired boy fight his way through the screaming crowd. When he reached her, his clothes and hair were a mess. "You made it!" he exulted, grabbing her hand and dragging her towards the backstage. When they arrived backstage, the boy began to babble excitedly.

"Slow down, Shuuichi-kun," she said with a laugh. She smiled at the boy. Shuuichi Shindou was a rising star, with his band Bad Luck becoming increasingly popular with each passing day. He was a very hyperactive but at the same time a very lovable kid. She met the band when they were having a concert in New York. They hit it off almost immediately, perhaps because they were both admirers of Nittle Grasper.

"Yuki's going to watch today's show!" he told her in an excited voice. "I'm going to do my very best for him!"

_Ah_, Patricia said to herself, finally understanding why Shuuichi was so excited. 'Yuki' was none other than Shuuichi's koibito, the well-known novelist Yuki Eiri. The two have been living together for quite a while now. Their relationship had caused quite a stir a few months back, probably because they were both male.

"That's nice," she remarked. "Eiri doesn't usually show up in your shows, ne?" She scanned the room and immediately found Yuki Eiri leaning against the wall, smoking a cigarette. "I see he still hasn't kicked off that smoking habit of his," she observed in disapproving voice, the physician in her mightily offended.

Shuuichi made a face. "I've been trying to get him to quit but you know Yuki. He's so stubborn."

Patricia nodded absently. Actually, Patricia probably knew Eiri a little more than Shuuichi. She and Eiri met in a rather unorthodox manner. She had been briefly assigned in the New York branch of Kritiker. She had met Eiri while she was on a mission to kill a particularly troublesome professor. Eiri had beaten her to it. 

Back to the present, Eiri had noticed her and he smiled slightly at her, a strange, mocking smile that was typically Eiri. She inclined her head as a form of acknowledgement. Eiri's amber eyes were penetrating as he looked at her, but she had long learned to ignore such gazes from him. 

She studied Shuuichi for a moment. "You're thinner. Have you been eating lately?" Patricia observed critically. She also noticed Shuuichi had eye bags. The pupils of his eyes were tinged with red. "You shouldn't starve yourself– either with sleep or with food. You'll get sick if you keep this up," she chided.

Shuuichi laughed. "Don't worry, I've been taking some uh, medicine to help me."

Patricia's trained ear didn't miss the note of hesitation in his voice. "What medicine?" she asked pleasantly.

Shuuichi waved his hand dismissingly. "Oh, some vitamins," he remarked in a rather vague manner.

"Who gave you this medicine?"

"Why, it was Raizo Tanaka himself–the head of Tanaka Drug Corporation."

*******

She had caught his attention the moment she walked into the club.

There was something about her, a presence that made people sit up and take notice of her. It also helped that she was stunningly beautiful and attractively dressed in a red slip dress edged with black lace.

Raizo Tanaka watched through half-lidded eyes as she was dragged away by the singer of the band playing in the club. He knew her, of course. She was the late Reiji Takatori's little sister. If he were to remember correctly, her name would be Patricia Angélique. She was Reiji's old man's daughter by his second wife, a British citizen with a French heritage. He had seen her a couple of times, mostly at her older brother's parties but Raizo didn't pay all that much attention to her, since in his eyes, she was just a kid.

But now, as Raizo watched her saunter gracefully towards the bar, he realized the girl had grown up into a beautiful young woman. And he wanted her. With sudden purposefulness, he stood up and headed for the young woman.

She was ordering something to the bartender when he arrived. Raizo then brazenly tapped her shoulder. She whirled around to face him, a slightly offended look on her face. Raizo then said in a smooth voice, "Hello. I think we have met before." He secretly smiled to himself, a smile full of hidden meanings, when the girl smiled back. _This should be easy._

*******

A few feet from them, a figure stood watch, unnoticed by many of the people in the club. Eyes drinking in every detail of the scene before the figure's very eyes, the figure smiled the same smile as well. _This should be easy._

*******

If there were anything Youji did not like, it would be being saddled with the job of spying on someone. Especially if that someone were a member of his very own team. _Me and my big mouth!_ Youji berated himself. _Now I'm stuck with watching Deschanel's every move._ _Damn it! This job is not as easy as I thought!_

Scowling, Youji proceeded to drink his brandy, eyes trained on their newest member. Patricia was talking animatedly to their target, Tanaka. Her face was a study of emotions. At first, she seemed to be amused. Then she frowned. She stood up, ready to leave. Tanaka grabbed her hand and began to say something to her. Her face was impassive as she listened to him. She abruptly yanked her hand from his gasp and stalked away. Tanaka hurriedly followed her, saying something Youji couldn't hear. Patricia seemed to consider Tanaka's word for a moment. Then she nodded. The two of them returned to their former seats.

Youji was completely fascinated by the sight in front of him. He almost believed Patricia was interested at Tanaka. She acted so naturally. Or was she acting? Was she betraying them to Tanaka?

_Who are you, Himalayan?_ Youji asked Patricia silently. He stared at her once more. They knew very little about her. All they knew about her that she is a Takatori, a Kritiker agent and her codename is Himalayan. Other than that, they know virtually nothing about her.

Patricia had been working for Kritiker since she was twelve years old. A mere child when she started in the whole sordid assassination business. Youji felt a sudden chill rush up his spine. Omi was also a mere child when he joined Weiβ Kreuz and even know, after several years of working with Omi, the whole thought of Omi as a kid being trained to kill still seemed to somehow unnerve Youji. 

_Why did you join Kritiker at such a young age, Deschanel?_ He narrowed his eyes. _A family tragedy? Or are you here to destroy us?_

All of the sudden, Youji felt a tap on the back. He spun around, heart pounding. Much to his relief, a waiter with a wine bottle stood in front of him. The waiter handed him the bottle. Upon seeing the puzzled look on Youji's face, the waiter whispered, "Compliments of the lady in the red dress, sir."

By intuition, Youji turned to the direction where Patricia was standing. She was looking at him as she slowly drank a glass of what seemed to be wine. There was a slight smile on her lips.

Youji's heart pounded once again. She had known he was there all along.

****

~To Be Continued~

Yeah, I know…It's loong story.

My friends and I have long been speculating on how Shuuichi Shindou looks so much like Omi so I put them there. Besides, I did promise some yaoi, didn't I? This isn't the major yaoi paring though…

By the way, did you know Ken and Shuuichi's seiyuu (voice actor) is the same? Yeah, he's Seki Tomokazu.

****

Note: I got the name Raizo from Tom Clancy's novel Debt of Honor (it's the novel where a plane slams into the White House, killing the President of the USA and almost all his government officials. Yikes!), so I don't own it.


	6. Chapter III D: Hanami

****

Disclaimer: You know the drill. I don't own Weiβ and Gravitation, I don't make money with this fanfiction and I don't want to be sued. Thanks to a certain medical website (http://www.healthcentral.com), that provided me with the information about anaphylactic shock. Remember kids, just say no to drugs…sheesh, now I'm a preacher as well.

****

Chapter III. D: Hanami

Ken hummed softly to himself as he carefully arranged the flowers they were going to sell at the 'store'. He checked whether the stems of the flowers were properly submerged in the water.

"It's nice to have a quiet morning, ne, Hidaka-san?" a pleasant voice inquired. Ken looked up to see Patricia standing in front of him, eyes sparkling with mirth. "No screaming fangirls, thank God," she remarked, ostensibly looking around.

"It's quite early, you know, so there aren't any customers yet," Ken explained, smiling sheepishly. 

"Yeah, I know. That's why I came here. No one to block my way. Where are the others?" she asked.

"Somewhere–oh, there's, uh, Aya." Ken's voice slightly faltered as he spoke.

Aya walked purposefully towards Patricia, his face an unreadable mask. Patricia gave him a slight smile. "What are you doing here?" he asked bluntly. 

"I came here to tell you that I have a date with Tanaka at his country mansion, which gives me the opportunity to snoop around his house and possibly obtain information that will help us in our mission," she shot back sharply. Ken was once again startled by how sudden Patricia's change of mood was. Her eyes suddenly flashed with irritation. "We do work in the same team, ne? Or have you forgotten that?" She turned to Youji. "And next time, please don't be so obvious. Tanaka isn't dumb, you know. He would have noticed you."

"I was just making sure you were safe," Youji protested.

"And I happen to be a nun," she retorted sarcastically. "I'm not really all that offended. It's just that I want as little interference as possible when I do my job."

"So what did you find out?" Aya cut in, ignoring Patricia's ranting.

Patricia took a deep breath, calming herself. "Nothing that we don't already know. Tanaka's guards were all over the club." She saw Youji's eyes widen with surprise. She smirked at him. "You didn't notice, did you?"

"What are you going to do now?" Aya asked blandly. "Sleep with him?"

Before Patricia could react, a voice said coolly, "You should be more polite in talking with the ladies."

Aya's head snapped to the direction where the voice came from. A tall blonde wearing black shades stood behind Patricia, his mouth pressed into a frown. "And who are you?" 

"What are you doing here, Eiri?" Patricia asked, staring at the blonde.

"We're here to buy flowers for his sister," another, more cheerful, voice announced. The speaker had pink hair and had a startling resemblance to Omi. He seemed to be full of energy.

"Shuuichi-kun!" Ken exclaimed when he saw the boy.

Shuuichi gave Ken an incredulous look. "Ken-kun! You work here?" His face broke into a cheerful grin. "I can't believe it!" The two immediately began to talk to each other.

Completely bewildered by the turn of events, Omi burst out, "Wait a minute! You know each other?"

Shuuichi nodded. Ken did a double take. It was still a shock to Ken to see the resemblance between Omi and Shuuichi. "Hai. I'm Shuuichi Shindou and this," the pink-haired boy pointed to the blonde, "is Yuki Eiri."

"The novelist?" Youji wanted to know, looking at the blonde, who ignored him.

"You're going to visit Mika?" Patricia asked Eiri. Eiri lowered his shades slightly, revealing amber eyes. He nodded curtly at her question. "How nice," she murmured. Eiri gave her a mocking smile. Eiri then turned to an expressionless Aya. "Friends of yours, Angélique?" Eiri queried Patricia, although his eyes were still on Aya.

The four members of Weiβ Kreuz were surprised. _Angélique?_ They turned to Patricia, who was smiling slightly. "I work with them," she replied, tossing back her hair.

Eiri turned to her, the mocking smile still on his face. "I see." Then he looked back at Aya. Eiri's golden eyes were penetrating but then, so were Aya's. They stared at each other for a few moments, silently assessing each other. It was possible that they'd have spend the day staring at each other if it weren't for Shuuichi's insistent tugging of Eiri's sleeve. "Oi, Yuki, shouldn't we get moving?' he asked, holding in his hand a bouquet of beautiful spring flowers. "The flowers will wilt." Then Shuuichi yawned, rubbing his eyes.

"Didn't get enough sleep?" Ken inquired, looking at Shuuichi's face. Shuuichi looked very tired.

Shuuichi nodded. "Don't worry. I still have this." He held up a small bottle and took out a small capsule. Without warning, Patricia snatched the bottle from him. "Angélique-chan!" the pink-haired boy cried in protest.

She held the bottle away from Shuuichi's reach, dodging his attempts to grab it from her grasp. "Didn't I tell you yesterday not to take any more of these?" she chided the pink-haired boy. "It isn't good to depend on vitamins too much. Especially an untested one."

Shuuichi pouted. "If the product were that bad, why are you dating the CEO of the company that makes it?"

She smiled sweetly. "I'm dating the CEO, not the product." She took out several capsules then gave the bottle back to Shuuichi. "Take the vitamins more sparingly now. I don't want you getting an overdose." 

Shuuichi nodded, almost snatching back the bottle. "Yes, doctor," he muttered meekly.

Patricia turned to Eiri. "Make sure he follows what I said." Eiri managed a curt nod and without another word, headed for their waiting car. Shuuichi trailed adoringly behind him. Shuuichi waved at Ken and Patricia as their car drove off.

When the car was about a tiny speck away, Patricia handed a few capsules from Shuuichi's bottle to Omi. "Run a thorough analysis on this," she ordered crisply. "I want to know what are the exact chemicals in a capsule."

"Angélique?" Youji asked mildly.

"My second name. My full name is Patricia Angélique," Patricia replied, giving Youji a small smile.

"What are those two? Best friends?" Omi asked. To his surprise, Patricia laughed.

"They're not friends, Omi. Yuki Eiri and Shuuichi Shindou are lovers," she explained gently.

"What?!?" Omi and Youji cried. Aya was impassive "You mean those two…but they're guys!" Omi sputtered. "Is that possible?"

"Do you think the heart cares about that?" Patricia sighed dramatically. "I love seeing those two together. They are so kawaii!" she gushed, eyes glittering with mischief. She lightly placed a hand on Omi's arm.

"I'll never understand women–or other men," Omi muttered darkly, face flushed. He headed for the back of the van.

"Why didn't you just take the whole contents of the bottle away?" Ken asked Patricia. "I mean, wouldn't he get–"

"I wish it was that easy, Hidaka-san, but it's not. Shuuichi has been taking that capsule for a while and if I were to suddenly deprive him of the capsule, he might suffer unforeseen consequences. I have to wean him off the drug slowly," Patricia explained. She checked her watch. "I still have to change my dress so I'll be moderately presentable when Tanaka picks me up for our date tonight." She gave Aya and Youji a hard stare. "Don't try to follow me. I can take care of myself, thank you very much. And to answer your question, Fujimiya-san, whether I sleep with him or not is none of your concern."

Aya gave her another one of his death glares. Patricia smiled sweetly at him. "Don't look so miffed, Fujimiya-san or else you'll look jealous," she teased. Laughing softly at the expression of outrage on Aya's face, she said, "You're so easy to tease, Fujimiya-san." She then jauntily waved at them then walked away, disappearing into the crowd of girls heading towards the boys.

*******

Spring was at its height this week. Flowers littered the city park, but by far the ones that attracted the most attention were the flowering cherry trees. Hanami was in its full strength. Families spread their picnic baskets on the city park grounds, admiring the sakura. Fallen cherry blossom petals covered the grounds like a soft pink carpet.

However, Ken and Aya were not there to admire the sakura. They were in the City Park to meet a Kritiker agent who had once been a member of the cult Shiro. After looking for hours, they finally spotted the man they wanted. He was sitting on the petal-covered grass underneath one of the most massive sakura trees the two had ever seen. The man seemed to be asleep but when they got a few feet from him the man's eyes opened. Ken felt a sudden chill when he saw the man's eyes. The pupils of the man's eyes were completely blood red.

The man frowned at them and he squinted his eyes. He then flashed them a humorless grin, revealing horrible yellowed teeth. "I didn't think Kritiker would have boys as pretty as you are," the man remarked, grunting as he shifted in his seat. He looked up, admiring the sakura. "They're pretty, aren't they?" 

"We're not here waste our time by admiring the flowers. We're here for information," Aya said cuttingly.

The man ignored him and continued to ramble on. "I was once pretty, just like the sakura are now. I was a well-known male model. But I tasted Tanaka's forbidden fruit and became this." He gestured to himself. Then he held up a wilted sakura petal. "Just like this petal."

"Are you through with your melodramatics?" Aya was getting increasingly impatient with the man.

"Impatient, you are." The man shifted once again. "Tanaka recruits members to his cult by giving a potential new member a drug–a vitamin, a cough medicine, you know, common 'safe' drugs. Moreover, since Tanaka's a respected businessman, the potential member trusts Tanaka almost immediately. Little does the potential member know that the drug has addictive properties and after taking a few swallows of the drug, he becomes addicted. Then he begs for more of the stuff, which, as you may have guessed, Tanaka only provides if the poor man joins his cult."

"Is that what happened to you?" Ken asked curiously.

The agent nodded. "Tanaka usually recruits those who have irregular lifestyles–singers, models, people who have little time for food, drink or sleep. In that way, Tanaka's offer of medicines wouldn't be all that conspicuous." Suddenly, the man coughs, spitting blood. 

Ken looks anxiously at the man. "Are you all right?" 

"No. But don't bother with me. My time's nearly up." The man turned to Aya. "Tanaka usually holds our 'meetings' in his country mansion. This is the place where members are given experimental drugs–turned into guinea pigs. It can also be a member's ashes' final resting place. I call that place 'hell on earth'. I was lucky to get away from it." The man stood up unsteadily, his hands braced against the sakura tree as a means of support. "That's just about all I can tell you. Hope you find it useful." He sniffed the air. "Lovely spring, isn't it?" he said wistfully as he tottered away from Aya and Ken.

*******

"So, what's our game plan?" Youji asked when he sauntered into the room. Four pairs of eyes glared at him, conveying volumes of unspoken words that can be summed up by one timeless sentence: _You're late_. Unconcerned as usual, Youji sat on the couch. " I'm sorry I'm late. Traffic was terrible."

"Omi will brief us in," Aya said shortly, turning to the boy. Omi nodded and dimmed the lights. He turned on the projector, which then showed a floor plan of a house and its surrounding grounds.

"We will carry out our mission in Tanaka's country mansion. This is the house's floor plan," Omi said.

"Why there?" Youji asked. "The place is big. I thought we'd kill him in his penthouse."

"The country mansion's where the center of his cult is," Ken explained. "The labs for experimental drugs are also located there. Besides, that's his retreat, the place where he relaxes. And relaxed man is easier to get."

"He's relaxed because he knows he's safe," Youji mused. "How good is his security, Omittchi?" 

Omi glanced at Patricia. "The security outside the mansion is pretty good," Patricia replied. "Tanaka has guards posted at virtually every corner. The total number of guards would be around two or three hundred, not including the number of guard dogs."

Youji thought for a moment. "Three hundred? Isn't that a bit small for someone like him?"

"He compensates that with an incredible computerized security system in and out of the mansion." Omi's voice was filled with reluctant awe. "I could probably break into it, but it would take me weeks to completely hack into it. The system's a tough nut to crack. A very tough nut."

"The company which made Tanaka's security system should have a blueprint of it," Ken suggested, frowning slightly.

Omi threw up his hands. "I did check into the company, but it turns out all of the files about the security system they did for Tanaka were erased. Not only that, the employees who designed and installed the system were killed soon after they finished Tanaka's system."

"Smart man. He's also very paranoid," Youji remarked dryly. "So how are we going to get in that mansion?"

Patricia held up two MO discs. "I already took care of that. Here are the security system plans of Tanaka's country mansion." She handed them to a stunned Omi.

"How did you get that? Don't tell me Tanaka just gave that to you?" Ken demanded in an incredulous voice.

She raised her eyebrows. "How I got it is not important. What's important is the fact that it's here," she replied smoothly, shrugging.

Omi stared at his paternal aunt with disbelief. Omi was about to ask her something when a shrill ringing interrupted him.

"Do you always carry your cell phone with you?" Youji asked in a mocking voice.

Patricia nodded at Youji. "Hello?" she answered. "Who–Eiri! What–" Her gold-green eyes widened. "WHAT?!?" she half-shouted. "Shuuichi–where is he? Have you–" she paused, her voice still a little shrill. "You're in the hospital? Good. Now STAY THERE! You are not going anywhere, Yuki Eiri, STAY PUT!" she ordered in a no-nonsense voice, ending the phone call. She began to dial a number, muttering something.

"What happened to Shuuichi?" Ken wanted to know, suddenly worried. Shuuichi was a sweet, nice guy. Ken had been furious when he found out that Shuuichi was fast becoming Tanaka's newest recruit. Ken liked the young man. They were about the same age and were both passionate with their talents.

"He's in the hospital, suffering from anaphylactic shock," she informed them gravely. She sweatdropped when she saw their blank looks. "It's the severest form of allergic reaction that usually occurs after subsequent exposure or intake of something a person's body is allergic to. It usually occurs after a person becomes sensitized."

"Sensitized?"

"It happens when the immune system has been triggered to recognize a substance as a threat to the body."

"Isn't that a good thing? After all, the immune system's the body's defense, isn't it?" Ken wanted to know, a little fascinated with Patricia's mini-medical lecture. He had forgotten that Patricia was studying to be a doctor.

She shook her head. "Not in this case. The immune system releases [antibodies][1], which then causes the tissues to release histamine and other substances. Histamine causes the blood vessels to dilate, thus lowering [blood pressure][2] and fluid to leak from the bloodstream into the tissues which then lowers the blood volume, ultimately resulting in [shock][3]. Fluid can leak into the air sacs of the lungs causing [pulmonary edema][4]. To make a long story short, anaphylactic shock is usually fatal." She placed her cell phone near on her ear. "Hello, Tohma? It's me, Angélique. You've heard? Good. I want you to go to the hospital and watch over your brother-in-law. Don't let him do anything stupid. Put some sense into his brain. You will? Thanks." Patricia hastily put the phone down. "Sorry for the interruption. Let's proceed with the discussion, shall we?"

"What was that all about?" Youji demanded. "You sound...agitated."

"It's none of your concern, Kudou-san," she replied. She turned to Aya. "When will we make our move?"

Aya narrowed his eyes. "As soon as we figure out a way to get into the mansion safely. Will you be able to manipulate the security system, Omi?"

Omi was busy studying the data inside the discs. After a moment, he replied, "Yeah, I think I can."

Patricia thought for a moment. "Once Omi has disabled the security system, it would be easy to enter. That leaves the guards and dogs. Some distraction perhaps? An explosion of some sort?" she suggested. "Woods surround the mansion. A little explosion here and there could go a long way."

Ken nodded. "Sounds like a good plan. What do you think, Aya?"

Aya gritted his teeth. He had a feeling that in a very subtle manner, Patricia was taking control over the mission. He didn't like it, but his common sense told him that her plan was a good one. Instead of answering Ken's question, he asked Patricia, "How and when do we enter the mansion?" 

"Tanaka's having a party tomorrow at the mansion. It's a fundraiser for–would you believe it?–A rehabilitation center. Of course, no party is complete without decorations and food so you'll be able to go there as– fanfare, please–florists or waiters. The timing would be perfect. When the little explosion goes off, the guests will panic and panic is contagious. The guards would try to calm down the guests but it usually takes a while to calm down hysterical people. The guards will be very distracted." 

"You planned this earlier, haven't you?" Youji accused. 

She smiled at him. "A little. It's my second nature, I guess. I've always been the one in charge of planning missions back in Europe. I'm not just 'the one who sleeps with the target to get information'. I can use my brains as well as I can use my body." She shifted her attention to Aya. "Is the whole thing all right with you?"

Aya nodded, his fists clenched. "Will you be in the party?"

"Yes. Tanaka invited me." Turning back to Youji, she said, "Kudou-san, can you stay here to keep an eye on Shuuichi and Eiri? They're in a nearby hospital. There's a chance Tanaka would have them killed."

"The lovers? Why–oh, yeah. The pink-haired boy might accuse Tanaka of giving him a dangerous drug, thus damaging Tanaka's untarnished reputation."

"Actually, Tanaka could probably get away with what he did to Shuuichi very easily. Tanaka doesn't have to kill them. Nevertheless, I don't think we should take chances."

"Can we finish the job in the mansion without Youji-kun?" Omi wanted to know. "Aren't we going to be a little undermanned without Youji? Manx and Birman could take care of Shuuichi and Eiri."

"Omi's right. We need Youji in the team," Ken said with a slight smirk. "Who would watch the van?"

*******

A few minutes after the meeting, Aya heard a knock on his door. When he opened the door, he was more than surprised to see Patricia standing before him. "What do you want?" he asked coldly.

"I want to talk to you. Can I come in?" Patricia asked in a no-nonsense voice. She noticed his hesitation. "Don't tell me you're afraid of me." She spread her arms. "See, I'm unarmed. Search me if you want."

He gave her a dark look then wordlessly stood back to let her in. He shut the door with a loud thud.

"I'll be brief. I want a truce," she told him in a firm voice. 

"A truce?" Aya's eyes narrowed.

She looked at him straight in the eye. "I'm not blind, Fujimiya-san. I know you resent my being a member of Weiβ. Unfortunately, this is my order and I intend to obey it. Now, what I'm asking is, for the sake of the success of the missions, we put aside our differences. You can rant and glare at me all you want when we're not working as members of Weiβ but when we're working, we put that all aside."

"And why should I agree to such a truce?"

"Because I don't think you can be so narrow-minded as to endanger the mission and the other members of Weiβ." she retorted. "Are you in or are you not?"

He stared at her for a moment. Aya didn't like entering any pact that he hadn't made himself, especially if a Takatori made the pact. However, he wasn't dumb either. He saw the merits of the truce and although he acted as if he couldn't care less what happened to his friends, he did care. Hell, they were his friends, weren't they? "Fine. I'm in," he replied curtly, a thinly veiled threat in his voice.

She smiled complacently. "How nice. Thank you, Fujimiya-san." 

*******

Raizo Tanaka surveyed the garden of his country mansion with a small smile of triumph on his face. Everyone he invited was at in attendance. He prided himself for being an excellent host of parties. The food and the champagne were always the best.

"You hold the best parties, Raizo-san!" A giddy lady had gushed to him earlier. "Not only is the food sumptuous, your entertainment is just divine!" 

Tanaka shielded his eyes from the bright lights. Speaking of entertainment, Tanaka was a bit worried when he heard that Shuuichi Shindou, the singer-songwriter of the band Bad Luck, was rushed to the hospital because of drug-related allergies. Tanaka liked the boy. Shindou was strong, healthy and completely naïve. It had been an easy task to get him to take the drugs. Now, the boy was sick and might press charges. Tanaka didn't like lawsuits that may damage his reputation. He'd take care of the boy later. He has more important things to take care of.

A new batch of drugs was being made in his laboratory. Tanaka once again needed to test these drugs on humans. A few years ago, Tanaka was content to test those drugs on animals but animals were not like people. Tanaka had to know how a human would respond to his drugs. So, he tried buying people who are willing to take the drugs but they turned out to be very expensive. That was when the idea of founding a cult as a way of acquiring human test subjects came to him.

As a teenager, he had tales of cults being used an excuse for people to use drugs. Tanaka didn't want to be branded as a drug pusher so he recruited his members secretly–usually by offering a harmless-looking vitamin, which in truth is a very addictive psychoactive drug that would leave his recruit begging for more in a matter of days. Tanaka named his cult Shiro, which meant white, after the color of his choice drug, cocaine.

A tall raven-haired girl stood a few feet away from him. Raizo smiled to himself. The girl was Patricia Takatori. He had invited her to attend his party. He frowned as he thought about the amount of effort that he exerted to convince her to come to his party. However, it was all worth it, he mused as he stared at the girl. She was stunningly beautiful as usual, attracting everyone's attention.

"Nice party," a mocking voice remarked from behind Tanaka. Tanaka whirled around to see a tall handsome blonde. The blonde was wearing a black suit and was holding a glass of wine.

"Ah, thank you, um…" 

"Yuki Eiri, the novelist," the blonde answered smoothly, inclining his head.

"Eiri?" Tanaka muttered. The blonde was studying him with intent amber eyes. For some reason, Tanaka felt that he should know who this blonde is. "I'm afraid I–" Tanaka started to say but he was interrupted by a sudden and powerful explosion somewhere in the woods that send him and everyone else diving for cover.

"What was that?!?" someone demanded hoarsely, his voice barely heard because of the deafening roar of the explosion. There was a moment of calm as the fact that an explosion had happened sank into the dazed minds of the guests. Then everyone bolted, running to every direction. 

Tanaka wasted no time. His bodyguards quickly converged about him and herded him towards a safe place. Meanwhile, some of the guards moved to investigate the explosion while the rest of the guards tried to bring any semblance among the guests.

"He's moving," Himalayan confirmed after she saw Tanaka disappear inside the mansion. "I'm moving into position." She cautiously stood up, surveying her surroundings.

"Tanaka left you alone? That's not a nice way to treat a date," Youji remarked through the transceiver as he moved into his position. "Now, if I were him, I'd–"

"You could give him dating tips later, Balinese," Abyssinian cut in sharply. He was busy trying to shrug off his waiter's jacket. "We have work to do. How's the security system, Bombay? Where's Tanaka now?"

"He's moving towards the 'panic room'," Omi told Aya. Omi was in a van hidden in the woods not far away from Tanaka's estate. "We have to stop him before he enters the panic room. If he were to get inside the room, we might have a very hard time getting him out there." The panic room was something that popped up at the last minute. Omi had discovered through the files in the MO discs that Tanaka had a room built that was similar to the room in the movie The Panic Room. Like the fictional room in the said movie, Tanaka's 'panic room' was designed to keep intruders out and him safe for days, even weeks. Omi could probably overcome the 'panic room', but that would take a while and they have only so little time before the local cops show up.

"How far is he from the panic room?" Himalayan demanded. "Am I anywhere near him?"

Omi glanced at the screen that showed the locations and movements of almost everyone, indicated by different colored dots, in the house and the nearby grounds. He spotted Himalayan's blue dot. "You're about a few meters away from him. He's almost at the room."

Patricia swore under her breath. "Take care of security, Bombay. I'm moving in." Quickening her pace, she headed for Tanaka. A guard suddenly appeared out of a corner. He took one look at her then pulled out his gun. Moving fast, she swung her staff, knocking the gun off the guard's hand. Then, before Patricia could give the fatal blow, the man slumped forward, spewing blood. 

Aya stood behind the man, pulling out his sword from the fallen man's stomach. "Where's Tanaka?" he asked without any preamble.

Patricia sidestepped the corpse and continued her pace, Aya beside her. "He should be ahead of us. How far, Omi?" Another guard appeared in front of Patricia. This time, she killed the guard in one blow.

"Tanaka's climbing the staircase. Siberian, behind you!" Omi shouted when he saw several violet dots appear behind Ken's brown dot. "You also got company, Youji-kun!" Omi warned Balinese, who, along with Ken, was busy penetrating Tanaka's illegal drug laboratory.

"Where should we turn?" Aya asked Omi.

"Left. You should be seeing the staircase now. Be careful. Tanaka has a lot of guards."

"I'll keep that in mind," Patricia remarked dryly as they turned left. The two spotted Tanaka and his guards. Without pausing, they hurried towards him. Tanaka spotted them, and his eyes widened when he saw their weapons. "Get them!" he commanded. His eyes fixed on Patricia before moving again. The guards rushed to obey him. The two assassins looked at each other. 

"Go. I'll cover you," Aya told Patricia flatly. Patricia looked surprised for a moment, then nodded. She headed towards the staircase, dodging and killing guards who were foolish enough to get in her way. She finally managed to reach the top of the stairs. "Where is he?" she asked Omi.

"On your left. He's almost there!"

She hurried towards where Tanaka was. When she did see him, he sent his bodyguards towards her. She methodically killed them until the only ones left were she and Tanaka. She was about to make a move on him when she froze. Tanaka was pointing a gun at her.

"An assassin. I should have known. You were just stringing me along, you bitch." Tanaka's eyes were wide as he stared at his dead men. Patricia took a step to her side. "Stay where you are, you filthy lying slut!" he demanded, swinging the end of the gun towards her.

A calculating look crossed Patricia's face. Smiling a cocky little smile, she jumped to her side.

"I said, stay put!" Tanaka roared, pulling the trigger. His bullet missed Patricia by a few inches, hitting and shattering a vase, one shard wounding her cheek. "You move, you die!" Tanaka threatened, voice shaking. 

Eyes narrowed, Patricia gripped her staff. In her next move, he will be the one to die. Lowering her staff slightly, she prepared to strike.

Another gunshot filled the air. Patricia stared at Tanaka, eyes wide with astonishment. Tanaka's gun clattered to the floor and a bright circle of blood spread on his shoulder. She stood still for a moment, then moved in for the kill. Tanaka gave a loud gurgling shriek before falling lifelessly on the ground.

"Who was that?" Ken demanded through the transceiver. "Who made that shot?"

"Tanaka's down," Patricia replied in a cold voice. She turned off her transceiver. "What the hell are you doing here, Eiri?" she asked the blonde novelist who stood a few feet away from her, a mocking smile on his face.

"I could ask you the same question, Himalayan," Eiri asked her. He looked critically at the spiked-edged staff Patricia was carrying. "Nice baton."

Patricia opened her mouth to rant at Eiri but she heard footsteps. _Aya_. "We'll talk later," she told Eiri in a controlled voice. "Go. Now. And for Pete's sake, don't be stupid enough to carry that gun around," she added in a disgusted tone of voice.

Eiri held up the gun that he held in his glove-clad hands. "It isn't mine. It belongs to one of his guards." He dropped the gun then sprinted away from her, disappearing through a corner. That was when Aya arrived. He took one look at Tanaka's dead body. "Who shot him?" he asked, noting the huge crimson spot on Tanaka's shoulder.

"Later." She turned her transceiver back on. "How are you doing back there, Siberian?" 

"We're finished here," Ken replied. "We better get out of here. Then we blow this place up."

"Got that." Patricia faced a very miffed Aya. "Let's go."

When the two arrived on the rendezvous point, the others were already there. "Who made the shot?" Ken demanded as soon as he saw Patricia.

"Yuki Eiri," Patricia replied in a cool voice.

"Nani? What's he doing here?" Omi asked, eyes wide. He had been taken aback when he saw an unidentified man suddenly approach Patricia. He had thought it was one of Tanaka's secret guards, ready to shoot Patricia. 

A look of annoyance flickered on her face. "I don't know. I thought Manx was going to handle him." She gave them a level stare. "Don't worry, he wouldn't tell on us."

"How can you be so sure?" Aya asked, eyes penetrating.

She gave him a beatific smile. "How can you not be sure?"

"That's a ghastly thought," Youji murmured.

*******

Patricia hurriedly put on the apron, then tied her hair into a ponytail. It would be her first day of work in the flower shop on wheels and she didn't want to be late. She glanced at the mirror. Her eyes fell on the tiny cut on her face, near her cheek. She absently ran her forefinger over the wound.

It had been two days since Tanaka's death and the subsequent destruction of his illegal drug lab. Two days since she last seen Eiri. As she walked towards the van that served as the flower shop, she wondered where Eiri was. She needed to talk to him.

"You're early," Ken remarked when he saw her. "You can start by arranging those flowers." He pointed to a stack of spring flowers on a table.

She smiled at him. "Thank you, Hidaka-san." She hurried towards the sack of flowers.

"Call me Ken. It's my name. Hidaka-san makes me feel so…old," he said, smiling back at her.

She raised her eyebrows. "If that's what you want…Ken. And please call me Patricia."

"Ohayou!" A cheerful voice greeted them.

"Shuuichi-kun! You're OK now!" Ken exclaimed, giving the pink-haired boy a high five.

Shuuichi nodded. "Hai. But I thought for a while that I'll never get well at all." He pouted. "No more vitamins for me!" he declared. "Eiri says I really don't need it. I'm way too hyper already."

Patricia smiled at him. "Where's Eiri?" she asked.

"Right here," Eiri said, appearing suddenly, a huge bouquet of tulips in his hand. He handed them to Patricia. "This is for you, Himalayan," he whispered softly.

Ken's eyes widened at Eiri's words. Patricia winked at Ken as she took the bouquet. "Thanks. They're my favorite." Her eyes narrowed. "Why didn't you kill Tanaka?" she asked. "You could have, you know."

"Tanaka wasn't worth it," he replied shortly. Eiri glanced at Shuuichi who was busy admiring the cherry blossoms falling from the sakura tree His usually hard amber eyes softened for a moment as he stared at his young lover, whom he had nearly lost, but was returned to him by a miracle.

"I see. Going on a vacation?" she asked, looking pointedly at the stack of suitcases strapped on Eiri's car.

"Hai!" It was Shuuichi who answered. "Doctors said I need a lot of rest so Yuki came out with the idea–"

"Vacation? Your idea?" Patricia demanded with a laugh. Eiri bonked Shuuichi's head. "We should go," Eiri said. Hauling off Shuuichi, they headed for their car, got in, then drove away, scattering the fallen cherry blossoms.

Ken glanced at Patricia. There was a small smile on her face as she watched the car disappear.

****

~To Be Continued~

Aww…I love Gravitation. It's so sweet. Yuki is just like Aya, but Yuki's more…sarcastic I guess…

This is probably the longest chapter I ever wrote…

For all those who took the time to read my story, I thank you for giving me your time!!!!

If you're not familiar with what Hanami is, It's the time in spring when the Japanese go out, view the cherry blossoms, and have outdoor picnics…

****

   [1]: /mhc/top/002223.cfm
   [2]: /mhc/top/003398.cfm
   [3]: /mhc/top/000039.cfm
   [4]: /mhc/top/000140.cfm



	7. Chapter IV A: A Black Cat's Meow

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Disclaimer: You know the drill. I don't own Weiβ, I don't make money with this fanfiction, and I don't want to be sued.

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Warning: The next chapters may contain some OOCness. If it does, please e-mail me so I can correct them

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Chapter IV. A: Black Cat's Meow

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Summer…

"Abyssinian, behind you!" 

Aya whirled around, coming face to face to a charging guard. He thrust his katana through the man. The guard stiffened as the katana slid through his guts. "Where are the others?" Aya asked Patricia curtly as he pulled his katana out of the man's belly.

Patricia's voice cackled through the transceiver as she spoke once again. "Siberian's taking care of those on deck. Youji and Omi are busy setting up explosives. The target's in the cabin."

Aya ground his teeth as he wobbled slightly as he sprinted towards the cabin. The yacht was rocking badly because of the commotion. He smothered a curse as he was nearly swept off his feet by the sudden surge of the yacht. Nevertheless, he went on his way.

Patricia frowned as she watched Aya. He was having a lot of trouble with his footing on a boat. She hoped he wouldn't fall into the water. Peering through her binoculars, she watched the fight on the yacht from where she was. Patricia was standing near the van on the pier, a half-mile away from the boat. 

It had been a month since she joined Weiβ. So far, things have been going great. She was getting along well with them. By now, she was at a first-name basis with the other members of Weiβ, except with Aya, of course. She managed not to have any major arguments with them–yet_. But I will have one in my hands when they find out the real reason why I'm here_, she mused, chuckling softly to herself. _Fujimiya will have my head if–_

The sound of barely audible footsteps broke her contemplation. Letting the binoculars hang about her neck, Patricia reached for her staff, all her senses alert. She swung her staff; its spikes ready for the kill. A flash of blue caught her eye and she stopped suddenly. She found herself staring at a tall man with dyed blue hair. "What the hell are you doing here?" she was starting to say then stopped abruptly when she remembered that that others would hear her. Her hand flew instinctively to her transceiver.

"What is who doing where?" Youji asked through the transceiver.

She turned to the man. He had disappeared. However, a guard was now running towards her, gun pointed her way. She dodged the bullets then struck the man in the head. "Nothing. Just another guard. Are you guys through?" she asked, hoping to change the subject. A gleam caught her eye. A MO disc was lying on the spot where the blue-haired man had been. She quickly picked it up and hid it.

"We're finished here," Omi confirmed. "Aya's on deck with Ken now. His job's done too."

Patricia lifted her binoculars. Aya and Ken were standing on deck. Aya's eyes seemed to be fixed on the shore. _Had Fujimiya seen the blue guy?_ she wondered. _I certainly hope not. I don't want any problems with 'shi-ne Takatori' anytime soon._

Meanwhile, Aya was indeed staring where Patricia was, wondering if his eyes were playing tricks on him. He could make out another human form other than the guard, but he couldn't be sure. It was too dark and foggy on the pier for him to see clearly. _What are you hiding, Takatori?_

The trip to the apartments was as usual, filled with silence. All of them were exhausted by the mission. Aya was the one driving tonight, and Patricia was thankful for that. At least he would be too busy driving to glare at her.

When they arrived in their apartments, Aya sent Patricia a penetrating look. It always unnerved Patricia when Aya looked at her that way, although outwardly, she pretended that she was unaffected by his stare. She smiled at him, an act that always seemed to irritate him, then went inside her apartment.

As soon as she locked the door, she turned on her computer and popped in the MO disc. She put on her headphones–she didn't want to take the risk of someone hearing what was inside the disc–and waited for the contents of the MO disc to show up. As soon as they did, she narrowed her eyes.

As soon as she was finished studying whatever it was on the disc, she took out the disc and passed a magnet over it. Then she broke it into two and burned it. She then turned off the computer and went to sleep. 

*******

"Arigato gozaimasu! Please come back again!" Patricia said cheerfully as she handed a handsome young man a dozen red roses. The young man blushed when she smiled at him when he handed over his payment. Then he gently thrust out the flowers to her. "Uh, for you, miss," he said awkwardly, blushing even more. There was a look of awe and adoration on his young face.

"Wha– um…thanks. But I–" Patricia wasn't even finished speaking when the young man bowed to her and scurried away. She sighed, then turned to glare at Youji, who was not making any effort to conceal his amusement. "One word, Kudou," she threatened as she carefully put the roses on top of another bunch of roses. "That would be the tenth bunch of flowers you received today, ne, Patti-san?" Omi asked innocently. Behind the teenager, Youji guffawed, clapping an affectionate hand over Omi's shoulder.

Clenching her teeth to keep herself from saying some nasty things to her sweetly innocent nephew, Patricia replied in a controlled voice, "Yes, Omi. It is, in fact, the tenth bouquet of roses I've received today." She groaned. "Whatever am I going to do with them?"

"Potpourri, perhaps?" Ken suggested, grinning at her. "Or maybe you can start your own flower shop." Ken looked at the small mound of roses. Since the day Patricia became a flower clerk in their shop, their sales went up. Nowadays, their customers also included adoring boys–most of them admiring Patricia. Ken had to admit that Patricia was one of the most beautiful women he had ever seen. Aside from her obvious beauty, Patricia had an air of kindness, warmth, and mystery about her that made her very interesting.

"Very funny, Hidaka-san," she retorted sarcastically. She looked mournfully at the roses. "Well, I suppose I'll just put this on the graves when I visit the Takatori family mausoleum tomorrow." An uncomfortable silence followed her announcement.

"You still haven't lost your touch, I see," Manx remarked, appearing out of nowhere.

"Practice," Patricia replied dryly.

*******

"Nani? Kuroneko? Black cat? What the heck is that?" Omi asked Manx, a baffled look on his young face.

Manx's eyes were flashing when they fixed on Patricia. "We'll have your aunt here explain who the hell Kuroneko is."

Everyone turned to look at Patricia. "Kuroneko is an assassin," she began in a serious voice. "What makes Kuroneko different from other assassins is the fact that Kuroneko's main targets are Kritiker agents. As far as I know, the European branch still doesn't know who Kuroneko is or why Kuroneko kills Kritiker agents." Frowning, she stared at Manx. "Kuroneko's supposed to be a 'European' problem, but I guess it's not anymore, ne?"

Manx nodded. "The European branch has sent several warnings about Kuroneko in all branches of Kritiker. There seems to be several indications that Kuroneko plans to go outside Europe."

"That's not good. Has Kuroneko killed anyone recently?" Patricia queried, a worried frown on her face.

Shaking her head, Manx replied, "None. Kuroneko hasn't made a move for more than a month now."

"That's what making Kritiker edgy. The calm before the storm," Patricia mused. 

Ken stood up. "Wait a minute. You were saying that Kuroneko kills European agents. So, how come this Kuroneko uses a Japanese alias? You also said Kuroneko has been inactive for a month now." Ken's suddenly fearful gaze flew to Patricia.

"Don't give me that look, Ken. I am not Kuroneko," Patricia replied in calm voice.

"And we should believe you because–"

"Remember when the head of the European branch was killed? Kuroneko did that. I was with you during that time. So, I couldn't possibly be in Europe to kill the head of the European branch when I happen to be in Japan working with you." She smirked at Aya. "Sorry, but you can't cut off my head yet." Aya just glared at her.

"Have you met Kuroneko?" Youji asked.

"Twice. I managed to wound Kuroneko in both meetings." Her gold-green eyes were suddenly filled with hate. "Too bad I didn't kill Kuroneko the last time we met. Kuroneko owes me plenty." Her hands clenched into tight fists. "When we meet again, Kuroneko won't be so lucky."

Omi watched his aunt. In the past month, Omi had become close to her. He had known her to be very affectionate, but cold-blooded when it comes to missions. Nothing seems to faze her confidence, probably a result of being in the business for nine years. She was in complete control of her emotions; she rarely let them interfere during missions. She was in a way, like Aya, although she wasn't as stoic as the latter. She was 'warmer' than the leader of Weiβ, more affectionate. 

Suddenly, Patricia smiled; all traces of hate disappeared from her eyes. That was another thing about her, Omi mused. Her lightning-fast mood changes that usually ends up confusing the male members of Weiβ. Omi secretly suspected Patricia knew this and used this knowledge to keep them on their toes. "Well, that goes for that. Now, Manx, why are you really here? Another mission?'

Manx nodded, handing them a folder and videotape. The tape showed a snippet from yesterday's news. 

"Isn't that the clip about that suicide bomber? That would be the third time this month," Youji remarked. Youji was pertaining to the sudden wave of suicide bombings that happened throughout the city. The police still had no clue on who was the ringleader of the events.

Persia's shadowy figure popped up, droning about the usual stuff. Aya blocked out the unimportant words, retaining only the important information. Their target was a man named Keisuke Hagiri, a thirty-year old unemployed man with black hair and gray eyes. Hagiri had a gentle look about him. "What makes you think this is the ringleader?" he asked Manx.

"His name popped up on the files of the three suicide bombers. All of the bombers seem to have dated him during their lifetime," Manx explained.

"But all the suicide bombers are men and…" Omi's voice trailed off and then his face turned beet red. Youji laughed and patted the boy's hand. "Be brave, Omittchi," Youji intoned, grinning wickedly.

"You're scaring him more, Youji," Patricia told the playboy blonde. Her eyes narrowed as she gazed at Youji. She looked like she was seeing the older blonde in a whole new light.

"Other than that," Manx continued, "Hagiri's background sort of fits."

"In what way?" Ken inquired.

Manx shrugged. "He was raised by a overly religious mother who hated gays. She would, since her husband left her for a man. The theory is, Hagiri's mother raised him as a gay hater." 

"So, Hagiri's a gay hater and he uses his former lovers as living bombs. Is it just me, or does it seems like crimes are getting more increasingly bizarre every day? Why haven't the police arrested him yet? I mean, the cops have to be blind not to see the connection," Ken wanted to know, shifting in his seat. 

"They have questioned Hagiri, but he had perfect alibis. Besides, many of the evidence against him are circumstantial, and you can't just convict someone over circumstantial evidence. You need hard proof. The police also have searched his house and came out with nothing. They had to let him go," Manx explained. "In the folder you would find all the information Kritiker has come up on him. He frequents a popular gay bar. By the way, the three suicide bombers were more than gays. They were…female impersonators."

"Drag queens?" Youji chortled. Patricia gave him a dark look. She smiled apologetically at Omi, whose face was still flaming.

"So what are we going to do?" Ken said lamely, unable to say anything else. "Don't tell me we're going to hang out in the bar?"

"No." There was suddenly a naughty smile on Manx face. She turned to Patricia who smiled a wicked smile back. "You're going to be drag queens."

"**NANI?!?**" The small room seemed at shake at the intensity of their shout.

"Are you out your mind?!?"

"No fucking way!"

"When do we start?" Omi said eagerly. The guys stared at him as if he was insane.

Manx threw Omi a considering look then saw Patricia shake her head. "Ah–no, Omi," Manx awkwardly. "We need your research skills. Besides, your aunt will rip me to shreds if I were to allow you."

Omi's shoulders slumped. Patricia glomped him. "Don't worry, Omittchi. It's more fun to watch than to perform." She looked at the dumbstruck men and laughed. Omi laughed along with her.

"I am not going to pretend as a stupid drag queen," Aya said firmly, fire in his eyes.

"We'll see about that, Fujimiya," Patricia drawled ominously, ignoring the glare.

*******

It took about two hours of non-stop badgering for the three members of Weiβ to agree to pretend as drag queens. The two, Ken and Youji, was easy. A little bit of induced guilt trips–courtesy of Omi–finally made them agree. Aya, on the other hand, took a lot more effort. Patricia tried provoking and taunting him with minimal success. Finally, Omi looked at Aya in the eye with his big blue eyes. It took about a few seconds for Aya to finally give in.

"I didn't think you were a sucker for puppy eyes," Patricia muttered as she carefully measured Aya's arms with a tape measure. "Hold still, Fujimiya. I don't want your costume not to fit you." Aya gave him a pointed look, which she ignored. "Spread your arms," she ordered. She then slipped the tape measure around his waist. 

Aya looked down at the black head of hair. She was busy measuring them for the costumes they would need. Aya didn't know what the costumes would look like but he figured it would be something…queenish. He shot Omi a deadly look, which Omi didn't see, as he was busy scanning the Internet. Omi and his big blue eyes. If there were something Aya would call as his weakness, it would be the fact that he was a major sucker for huge, puppy dog eyes. Perhaps it was because his beloved sister had eyes like those. Huge and filled with innocence. Aya closed his eyes. It had been so long since he had seen and held his sister. He missed Aya-chan, her smiles, and her laughter. Nevertheless, he could never be with her. _I'm too besmirched for something so pure_, he thought.

"Fujimiya, are you OK?" Patricia's voice broke through his thoughts. He found himself looking at concerned gold-green eyes. For a moment, he felt mesmerized by those eyes. Mentally kicking himself, he jerked his gaze away. "Are you through?" he asked curtly.

Patricia sighed. It was going to be one of those. She turned to the other members of Weiβ. Ken and Youji had a look of horror on their faces. She pursed her lips, studying them critically. "Now, let's discuss about the wigs and make-up. Something suitable with your coloring."

"Wigs? Make-up?" Ken groaned. "Tell me this isn't happening." He glared at Omi. Omi was getting a lot of that lately. "This is all your fault," he accused.

"But Ken-kun," Omi cried, wide innocent blue eyes fixing on Ken's brown eyes. "We couldn't just let–"

Ken sighed. He was no match for Omi's blue eyes. He turned his wrath on a laughing Patricia. "Stop laughing. You're not the one suffering here." Patricia just laughed harder.

Then came the dance lessons. "Dance, us? Are you nuts? We're assassins, not dancers," Ken protested. 

"That's not my problem. You're going to do some performing, so whether you like it or not, you're going to learn how to dance." Her tone left no room for arguments. Even Aya didn't protest. "Now," she began in a more reasonable tone of voice, "the dance steps are pretty easy. All you need is to sensually shake your bon-bons and do some elaborate but sexy hand gestures." She demonstrated for a moment. Her movements were fluid and graceful. The three found themselves hypnotized. When she stopped, they felt somewhat disappointed. Their disappointment, however, turned into pure shock when Patricia told them, "Now you do it. It's easy."

The three looked at each other, shuffling their feet. Behind them, Omi was laughing. The three was obviously more than uncomfortable at the turn of events. Aya turned to Omi. "Get out," he told him crisply.

"But Aya-kun," Omi wailed, eyes widening.

Aya fought the instinct to give in. "I said, get out," he repeated, eyes narrowed, voice colder.

"You better do what he says, Omittchi. I don't want you to lose any respect you may still have for these three," Patricia told Omi. Omi's eyes were pleading but Patricia shook her head emphatically. Taking a last look at the three, Omi left the room.

Patricia then turned to the three. "Now, let's begin. Remember, it's all in the hips."

They looked at Patricia. Seeing the expression of stony resolve on her face, they knew there was no way out. "Bitch," Youji murmured under his breath.

"I heard that, Kudou. Move!" she ordered, playing the tape.

The three stared at the floor for a moment. Then, as the music grew louder, they reluctantly began to dance. Their faces were red with embarrassment.

Patricia watched them with clinical detachment. She had to, since it was all she had to keep herself from laughing. They weren't all that bad. Youji was dancing well, a testament to all the time he spent dancing at discos. Ken…well, Ken moved rather awkwardly. His idea of a sensual dance seemed to be by sticking his butt out all the time. Ken was absolutely graceless, but that was expected from a soccer player. Meanwhile, Aya simply stood there, eyes narrowed, staring at his two comrades. Patricia wasn't surprised by Aya's actions. In fact, she expected it from the cerise-haired assassin.

"Uh, OK. That's enough," she finally said after a while. The two stopped immediately. "Ken, you're too stiff, and stop sticking out your butt all the time. I said, shake your bon-bon, not stick it out." Ken's blush turned a shade darker. "Youji, you did good, but you still need a bit of work." She turned to a still stoic-faced Aya. "Fujimiya, I sure as hell hope you know what you're doing." She smiled winsomely at the other two. "You'll do just fine."

"Easy for you to say. You're not the one going to dance dressed like some freak–" Youji stopped at the barely concealed threat in Patricia's face.

Patricia took a deep breath. "Manx said you should make go to the bar tonight." She grinned at them. "I wish I'd be able to watch your show but I have a different assignment. Good luck." She turned off the music and picked up her stuff. "Your costumes should be available tomorrow. Enjoy your work guys, Ja, ne."

*******

"So, you're the new gals," a tall blonde guy or girl–it was really hard to tell because of the thick make-up–who was the manager at the bar said to them. The three Weiβ members had decided to mentally identify their co- workers as he. Ken's eyes were bulging as he stared at the blonde. Aya bristled at the word 'gals'. 

"Yes, dearie, we're the new gals," Youji said in a slightly falsetto voice. 

The manager waved a dainty, manicured hand. "I'm Lucy." Lucy turned to another but shorter blonde. "Lila, these are the new girls. Very pretty, aren't they?" The manager turned back to them, brazenly looking at them from head to foot, noting their appearance. The three had decided not to wear anything queenish when they go the club to show themselves. "You haven't come out of the closet yet, have you?" she asked bluntly.

"Huh? Excuse me, but wha–" Ken was starting to say but Youji cut him off. "Hai. Our families sort of disapprove our…orientation. We're only dressed this way because we didn't want our families to get mad at us," Youji told the manager in a feigned sad voice.

Lucy nodded sympathetically. "It's the same the world over." He smiled at them. "Don't worry, girls. Mama Lucy's going to take good care of you."

_That's what we're afraid of_, they thought, a sinking feeling brewing in the pit of their stomach_. I am going to kill Manx,_ each of them silently vowed.

*******

Patricia sat on the chair, hands gripping the phone. With a sigh, she put the phone back on its cradle. She glanced at the sheets of paper on her coffee table. 

She opened a very thick folder marked 'confidential'. She had the folder even before she arrived in Japan. Inside the folder was the profile of every Japanese member and agent of Kritiker. She had scanned the files several times already. She had practically memorized every bit of information the portfolio provided. She flipped through the pages. Her eyes fell on Fujimiya's file.

Ran 'Aya' Fujimiya had intrigued Patricia even before he had killed Reiji. Shuuichi had often told her about the redheaded, Takatori-hating leader of the current Weiβ Kreuz. She had warned her older brother that when Fujimiya finds out he was working for a Takatori, all hell would break loose. And it did. 

She didn't hate Aya for killing Reiji. Hell, she knew well enough that her eldest brother was a living demon on earth. Reiji would be more at home in hell. It was a good thing Aya killed him. What she hated about Aya was the fact that he seemed to hate her just because she had Takatori blood in her veins. Patricia didn't like narrow-minded people. _What do I care? I don't even like him anyway_, she thought. 

The truth is, Aya's indifference to Patricia made him more intriguing and challenging in her eyes. Patricia loved a good challenge, and Aya Fujimiya was as good as a challenge gets.

"What am I thinking? Challenge or not, I'm better off leaving Fujimiya alone. I just don't have any time to waste on so…silly a matter," she said aloud to herself heatedly.

There was a sudden, insistent knocking on the door. Carefully hiding the folder, Patricia hurriedly went to the door. Flinging the door open, Patricia saw Aya Fujimiya standing in front of her door, carrying a huge box. "Speak of the devil," she murmured to herself. In a loud voice, she greeted the cerise-haired young man, "Good evening, Fujimiya. May I be of service to you?"

Aya scowled at her. On Patricia's face was that irritating dimpled smile of hers. "I need instructions on how to wear these," he said, brusquely thrusting the box in front of Patricia's face.

"What the–oh, the costumes." She sighed a little sad sigh.

Aya stiffened. "If you don't want to, I'd–"

A look of irritation crossed her face. She snatched the box from Aya's hands. "Don't be silly, Fujimiya. Come in." she stepped back to let him enter the apartment.

Silently fuming, Aya reluctantly followed the raven-haired assassin. _Why did I bother to ask for her hel– instructions, anyway?_ he asked himself. He then reminded himself that he asked her, since he could consult no one else. The other two, Ken and Youji, were also having problems with their own costumes. Omi was simply out of the question. Patricia was the only person he knew that would be able to give him clear instructions and not think he's insane. Normally, Aya would do things on his own, but in this case, it was better to ask for instructions–however disliked the instructor is–than to look like a moron. Besides, it would be very peculiar for a supposedly experienced female impersonator to fumble with his costume. Someone could notice and tell the wrong person, thus blowing up their cover and ultimately ruining their mission.

As Aya watched Patricia's slim form saunter into the living room, he had to acknowledge the fact that Patricia had more or less improved the way Weiβ does its missions. Patricia's experience, knack for detailed planning and thorough research had made their mission less risky than they would have been before Patricia joined them. Their usual what-the-hell planning was simply too risky for the girl's taste. Patricia made sure almost every possible outcome was covered, made sure there were back-up plans in case something would go wrong and made sure they came out of the mission alive. 

"You have to be a little fussy on this job. After all, you're being paid to kill, not to die," she told them once when Youji complained about her 'fussiness'. Yes, Patricia did command respect, if not admiration.

"Earth to Fujimiya. Are you there?" Patricia asked, waving a hand in front of Aya's face. Snapping out of his reverie, he focused his attention to her. "Which of this stuff are you having trouble with?" Patricia wanted to know, holding up the contents of his box.

Aya wanted to say 'everything' but he didn't want her to think of him as a complete fool. He thrust his jaw towards the heavily decorated corset and the pair of fishnet stockings.

Patricia smirked. "Thought so," she mumbled. She looked at him appraisingly. "You need to take off your pants and shirt," she told him calmly.

Aya felt himself blush at her words, the first time he ever did for a very long time in front of a woman. Patricia saw the barely perceptible blush and smiled secretly to herself. _So, he gets embarrassed too, eh_? she thought. She took a deep breath to prevent herself from laughing in front of Fujimiya's face. "Fujimiya, I grew up with brothers. I've seen naked or near naked men before. I doubt you have anything I haven't seen before." She turned her back to him. "I won't peek as you undress. Moreover, please stop blushing. Your red face clashes with your red hair," she added as an afterthought.

Aya glared at her back. Clenching his teeth and willing the blush away, Aya began to take off his clothes until he only wore a pair of briefs.

"Are you undressed yet?" she asked bluntly. Aya managed to answer her with a grunt. She turned.

Patricia's face was expressionless as she observed the nearly naked Aya. Aya had the snowy complexion of a young girl and Aya could have served as Donnatelo's model for his famous statue David with his slimly muscular body. Blinking back her astonishment, she said casually to Aya, "Let's begin with the stockings first."

Patricia then spent more than four hours teaching Aya how to properly wear his costume, from his fishnet stockings up to his elaborate headdress. Judging from the bewildered look that sometimes flickered in the violet depths of Ran's eyes, he hadn't expected anything as thorough as this. 

"You should have fuller breasts," Patricia remarked as she adjusted the silicone 'cups' that gave Aya the illusion of a curvy bosom. There was no trace of embarrassment on her face as she pursed her lips and surveyed the 'man' in front of her. "You look like a very pretty girl, Fujimiya," she remarked, a grin on her face. 

"You're enjoying this," he accused bitterly.

She gave him a wide-eyed innocent look that was somewhat similar to Omi's puppy eyes. "Would I do that, Fujimiya-san?" She lightly tousled Aya's red hair. "You really, really, look like a girl–even without a wig."

"Can I get off this now?" Aya asked in his cold as ice voice. Patricia nodded and turned her back towards him once again, as he took off his costume and put his regular clothes on. "Thank you," he said abruptly when he finished. He was a bit surprised to see that Patricia had neatly put his costume back into the box.

Patricia shrugged. "It's OK." She followed Aya as he headed for the door. As she held the door open, she asked in a serious voice, "Have you noticed anything unusual recently about Youji whenever he's with Omi?"

Aya gave her a penetrating look. "Nothing, except for the fact that Youji teases him more now." He was tempted to ask why she was asking but it was not his nature to concern himself with others.

Her eyes narrowed for a moment. "I see." She smiled softly at Aya, taking him aback with her sudden mood change. "Well, thanks, Fujimiya-san. Good night." She then closed the door. 

Aya stood in front of the door for a moment. Then he looked around, senses alert. He felt like someone was watching him. He searched the darkness for a few minutes, then, finally satisfied that no one seems to be observing him, he went back to his apartment.

*******

"The redhead has very keen senses, hasn't he?" a husky voice commented to a person hidden by the dark shadows.

"Fujimiya? Yes, he is very sensitive to his surroundings," the person replied.

The two were on top of a small building a several meters away from the apartment of the Weiβ Kreuz members. The owner of the husky voice had been watching the scene between Aya and Patricia for a while. "She will be hard to get. She's the smartest of the lot."

"Probably the most hated as well," the person in the shadows remarked bitterly.

The other gave a crude snort of laughter. "By whom? By you or by her co-members?"

"By me." The person handed an envelope to the one with the husky voice. "Here is the information you wanted, Kuroneko."

"Why, thank you. It's so good to have a spy within the enemy." Kuroneko then let out peal after peal of cruel laughter.

*******

As soon as Aya left, Patricia retrieved the folder she was reading. She thanked God that Aya and the rest still didn't seem to catch on to what she was really doing.

She sighed. She didn't like concealing things from her co-members. It was somehow wrong. After all, they were supposed to be her allies and shouldn't information be shared between allies?

It wasn't her fault things had gone this way. If Persia hadn't been so–Patricia searched for the right word– _unwilling_ to listen to reason and common sense, things wouldn't have gone this far.

There was no going back now. The importance of her true mission was of the highest priority. She had to succeed no matter what; failure was not an option for her to take.

She could see that the members of Weiβ were slowly trusting her. Even Aya was showing some kind of accommodation with her. That was good. She needed their trust to complete her mission.

_But do I have to keep so many secrets?_ she asked herself. She liked her co-members, and she knew all hell would break loose if they were to find out why she really was here in Japan. _I'm a Takatori, all right,_ she thought disgustedly. _I'm deceptive. Fujimiya would–_

She stopped at that thought. _Why am I so concerned about Fujimiya's opinion? I should be more concerned with what Omi would think of me._

The mention of Omi brought forth another predicament. Patricia still hasn't told Omi the truth about himself. _Damn it! Why do I always find myself in moral quagmires like this?_ she demanded silently to herself.

Another sigh escaped from her lips. _I am keeping far too many secrets for comfort._

****

~T.B.C~

I'm not sorry I did this. I've always wondered what Weiβ members would like in drag…he, he…

What? No one to thank today? Well, thank you, Koyasu Takehito, for creating Weiβ. I couldn't have done it without you…

Sigh…so few reviews…what does a person have to do to get reviews here?!?

Sorry, I overreacted. Blame it on the vitamins my mother insisted that I take. What is this vitamin…*looks at label* P-R-O-Z-A-C. Prozac. What a funny name for a vitamin…

By the way, I'm having trouble making Ken more visible here…any non-Yaoi suggestions?

Oi, I have another fic here, but it's a fantasy titled Dark Knights: Destiny's Awakening. Please check it out…


	8. Chapter IV B: Moulin Weiss

****

Disclaimer: You know the drill. I don't own Weiβ, I don't make money with this fanfiction, and I don't want to be sued. This fanfic is for my CDL friends and for Luna Cat Girl!!! I love you all!!! 

****

Chapter IV. B: Moulin Weiβ

Youji groaned as he sat on the couch. His whole body was sore and he was still very sleepy. He shot Omi a deadly glance. The blonde teenager woke up Youji rather early in the morning.

"Go away," Youji had grumbled when Omi had shook him awake. Youji burrowed deeper into the covers. Omi then ruthlessly snatched the covers off Youji. "What the–Tsukiyono!" Youji groaned.

Omi stared at Youji, his blue eyes narrowed and serious. "Aya-kun called for an emergency meeting. You have to be there." When Youji began to protest, Omi's eyes widened and took on a sort of pleading expression. 

The result was inevitable. Youji got out of bed and was now sitting in the couch, waiting for the meeting to begin. Youji sought out Ken. Ken was sitting on a chair, looking terrible. Meanwhile, Aya was sipping a cup of coffee and was looking outside the window.

"When is Manx coming here?" Ken burst out in an irritated voice. "I'm sore and exhausted from last night's work in the club. I want to have some sleep."

"Quit complaining." Aya put down his cup. "Manx has something important to say to us." Aya was also sore and exhausted from all the work in the club. They had been working there for two nights now. He and the other two members of Weiβ Kreuz, Ken and Youji, had spent their time in the club dancing, serving and singing, all the while wearing their elaborate 'queenish' costumes. It was not only a humiliating experience for them, it was very tiring experience as well.

At that moment, Manx came in. She took one look at their disgruntled faces then said carefully, "I'll go directly to the point. Recent observations by Kritiker have revealed that Hagiri is not working alone. It appears that he works for some sort of organization. This organization hired him to do damage on certain select areas. We don't have any idea what the pattern is yet, but we are sure Hagiri does not work alone, so be very careful."

"What organization is he working for?" Youji asked.

"We haven't pinpointed what organization is Hagiri working for. However, for now, let's focus on Hagiri. Have you seen him in the club yet?" Manx wanted to know.

Ken nodded. "Yeah. I served him a couple of times and–" Ken shot a politely listening Omi a quick glance. "He sort of made a pass on me." A blush stained Ken's cheeks. "But he ended up with a co-worker, Little Lina."

Manx turned to Aya. "Keep an eye on Hagiri. He might make a move anytime soon." Aya nodded curtly.

"Hey, where's Patricia-san?" Ken asked aloud. "I need to ask her something."

"Oh, Patti-san's still sleeping. She had a rough night," Omi replied.

"Not as rough as we've had, I bet," Youji remarked dryly. "What is this mission she's working on, anyway?"

Manx shrugged. "Europe asked her to do some background checks on an associate of one of their targets. By the way, how are thing with her?"

"Everything's fine, I guess. She's one hell of an assassin," Youji remarked, a note of admiration in his voice. Then he frowned. "She's far too fussy on details, though. She makes sure we don't get into trouble."

"Is that such a failing, Youji?" Manx asked, amused. Manx glanced at Aya, whose face was impassive as usual. She wondered how the redhead was getting along with Patricia.

*******

That night, Little Lina was in heaven. He had just met a wonderful guy by the name of Keisuke Hagiri. The name seemed familiar to Lina for some reasons. Keisuke had longish black hair and twinkling gray eyes. Kei-chan was a wonderfully gentle, sweet and caring man. He was a perfect gentleman.

Little Lina sighed. It wasn't easy to be a female impersonator in Japan. Little Lina had to put up with numerous insults and abuses, not to mention the hatred of his parents. They were not pleased with their only son's career choice and sexual orientation.

"Daydreaming, Lina-chan?" a vaguely familiar voice asked teasingly. Lina looked up. The owner of the voice was one of the newcomers. _What was his name?_ Lina thought. She stared blankly at the brown-haired newcomer for a moment. _Oh, now I remember. It's Barbie_. Barbie was a rather awkward dancer, but the crowd liked him. Lina nodded, a flush appearing on his face.

Barbie smiled kindly at her. "Who is it this time? The guy you were talking to yesterday?"

Lina blushed harder. "Hai. We're going out after the show."

Ken smiled back, then sauntered away. _So, Hagiri's moving already_. Ken scowled. His name in the club was Barbie–a name Youji had suggested. "After all, you're name's Ken and Ken's counterpart's Barbie, isn't it?" Youji had said, pertaining to the world-famous dolls. Ken nearly punched the playboy blonde, but Aya stopped him.

Ken entered the dressing room. Youji was in one corner, applying his make-up with the help of their co-workers. Aya was sitting alone in one corner, his wig slightly tilting the wrong way. Even in his drag costume, Aya still managed to convey his keep-away-from-me aura. 

Ken shuddered as he recalled the night before. Aya was serving drinks when someone pinched his butt. Aya didn't do anything other than glare at the perpetrator on the spot, but after work, Aya excused himself, saying he needed a breath of fresh air. Ken and Youji then heard a sudden clatter of garbage cans.

The next night, the man who pinched Aya's butt was reported to be in the hospital, sporting serious injuries. On the same night, Aya seemed to sport a satisfied look on his face.

Ken sighed. He wished this were all over.

*******

"The police are getting very suspicious of you. You shouldn't have done that," the disembodied voice from the other end of the line said. "It was foolishness. We did not pay you to lead the police to us."

Keisuke Hagiri bristled. "I'm aware of that. Don't tell what to do."

"I was just simply giving you a friendly reminder. Remember, we hired you to destroy those buildings, not to make your twisted fantasies come to life," the voice paused. "If you were to fail and manage to stay alive, we would deal with you accordingly. Good day." The phone line went dead.

Keisuke slammed the phone back to its cradle. He was absolutely furious. To speak to him as if he were a child! In addition, he was threatened! Who does he think he is?

A malicious smile lit up his face. As a youth, he hated fags, hated them with all his heart. For him, they were an abomination on Earth. Hadn't God destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah because many of its inhabitants were gays? Hajiri considered himself as God's avenging angel, tasked to destroy this abomination.

It was so easy to get them, these depraved creatures. Show them a little gentleness and understanding and they'll come licking at your feet. Little do they know what was in store with them.

After they were intimate enough, Hagiri would have his intended bomber bring a briefcase to him to the target place. The briefcase contained the bomb, and before anyone could figure out what was happening, it was all over with a loud boom. 

He sat on the couch. He'll think about a suitable punishment for his employers later. He has other, more important things to do.

*******

"Barbie, honey, can you please help me put on my breasts?" 

Ken gaped at the female impersonator in front of him. The impersonator–Ken forgot what his drag name was–was holding out two lumps of silicone in both hands. "Uh–sure," Ken finally said. Setting his teeth together, Ken inserted the silicone in their respective places.

"Oh, Barbie-chan," a familiar falsetto voice called. Ken whirled around to glare at a grinning Youji. The playboy assassin was wearing a red corset dress and a wildly curly light blonde wig. Among the three, Youji seemed to be the only one enjoying this mission. Youji winked at him. "You should start dressing. The show's almost starting."

The dressing room of the club was full of busy female impersonators and their assistants. They were busy preparing for the show tonight. In tune to today's trends, the show would be doing a Moulin Rouge/Lady Marmalade imitation–the one recently showed in MTV. Ken would be Mya; Aya would be Pink; Youji would be Christina Aguilera while Little Lina would be Li'l Kim. They wouldn't sing, of course, but they would dance.

_We should be asking Persia for a raise. This is definitely _not_ what I had in mind when I joined Weiβ,_ Ken thought, grunting as he put on his tight blue corset, a near imitation of what Mya wore in the video. As he began to decorate his hair with feathers and other fancy decorations, Ken sneaked a glance at Little Lina. He was absolutely glowing. Ken felt a twinge of sadness for Lina. She had no idea she was smitten with a mad bomber.

"All right, ladies, let's get ready now. The Lady Marmalade girls, please get in front. You will open our act," the chief choreographer announced. Ken looked at Aya for guidance. The leader of Weiβ was wearing a black corset, a slightly curly wig, and an avant-garde makeup–just like what Pink wore in the video. Aya looked completely ridiculous. Ken would have laughed if he weren't dressed and made up as ridiculously as Aya. He thanked the gods that Omi and Patricia or anyone they knew would not see them this way. It was just too humiliating. _Anything for a mission…_

The glare of lights was nearly blinding when they emerged onstage. There were the usual cheers and catcalls as the music began to start. Ken swallowed his embarrassment and began to dance to the song 'Lady Marmalade'.

_Voulez-vous…._

Ken gritted his teeth as the well-known lines blared out. That particular French line in the song roughly meant, 'Will sleep with me tonight, sir?' Ken wondered idly if the crowd knew about that particular fact. While dancing, Ken's eyes searched for Hagiri. Sure enough, Hagiri was sitting in one of the front tables, eyes trained on Little Lina.

"If I ever find out who set this up for us, I'll kill him or her with my bare hands," Ken muttered to himself.

The group danced on, perfectly mimicking the dance steps in the Lady Marmalade video. Ken sneaked a glance at Aya. He was dancing pretty well, considering the fact that he did not practice at all. Ken prayed inside his head that it would just be all over. Finally, as the confetti fell on them, the number ended.

There was roar of applause and cheers. "More! More!" the audience shouted.

Youji and Little Lina blew kisses at the audience. Ken managed to wave at them. Meanwhile, Aya immediately went backstage without so much as wave to the audience. 

As they hustled back to the dressing room, Little Lina pulled Ken close to him. "I'm going out with Hagiri. Cover for me." Then Little Lina scurried off.

Ken turned to Aya and nodded. _Sorry, Lina, but I can't cover for you. I have to save you from your date._

*******

The three were now dressed in their 'assassin' clothes. "Finally," Ken said as he let out his breath explosively. "I thought I'd never wear decent clothing ever again."

"Why, Barbie dear," Youji said mockingly. Ken glared at him. "You look better in sequins and corsets."

"Hagiri's moving," Aya announced coldly, halting any bickering that might erupt between the two. He picked up his katana. "Let's go."

They followed Hagiri and Lina for half-hour until Hagiri and his date finally entered a modest-looking hotel. Aya and the rest carefully and stealthily followed the two inside.

Then, all of the sudden, there were several crashing, popping and cracking noises, followed by screams.

"Gunshots!" Ken exclaimed. Without another word, they hurried towards the room where Hagiri is. Youji kicked the door open.

Hagiri and Lina were lying on the floor, their bodies filled with bullets. Blood was splattered everywhere. Four startled men, all of them carrying nasty looking Uzis, looked up at the equally surprised Weiβ. When their surprise wore off, Weiβ jumped back and flattened themselves onto the floor as a spray of bullets burst out. The four gun-totting men then immediately scrambled out of the room.

"Not so fast," Youji said, whipping out his piano wire. Youji caught one around the neck. Youji tugged sharply, jerking the man off his feet. The man fell on the floor, twisting and struggling for air. Ken and Aya rushed to follow the rest of the gun-totting men. The one of the three aimed his gun at Ken and Aya but Ken, moving quickly, drove his bugnuks into the man's chest. Aya followed the one that climbed up to the rooftop.

The night sky was bright with stars but Aya didn't pay attention to that when he reached the rooftop. His eyes searched for the man carrying the Uzi. A sudden cracking sound made Aya whirl around. Aya saw the man standing near the edge, his gun raised. Aya moved fast enough to avoid the bullets. Cursing under his breath, Aya ran for cover as the man continued to shoot at him. 

A clicking sound told Aya that the man had ran out of bullets. Taking advantage of the situation, Aya leapt out from his cover and headed for the man. It was too late for him when he noticed the man pull out a handgun from his coat. Aya turned sharply to his right.

Aya took a step back as the bullet penetrated into the flesh of his left shoulder. Then Aya lashed out, his katana making a sweeping arc across the man's stomach. The man arched back, claw-like hands grabbing Aya's coat as the man slowly toppled towards the edge, determined to take Aya with him. Aya would have plummeted to the asphalt below if he hadn't managed to grab the ledge. The man's hands slipped away and he fell screaming to the ground. 

Aya tried to raise himself up, but the excruciating pain of his wound prevented him. Not only that, his hands were slippery with his own blood. He hung there for a few moments, slowly weakening from blood loss. He tried to pull himself up once again, but this time his hands slipped, throwing him into the cool night air. Aya closed his eyes, knowing that death would come soon. _Goodbye, Aya-chan_. Images flashed before his eyes; scenes in his life. Then a familiar face appeared. It was Patricia's.

_"Fujimiya!"_

Aya opened his eyes. He was stunned to see Patricia looming over him. Her face was flushed and her breathing was ragged. She was gripping his right wrist tightly, obviously not wanting to let him go. They gazed at each other for a moment, eyes searching–both of them seeming to make sure that each other was real. "Give me your other hand," she ordered, thrusting out her other hand. 

Aya didn't think. He just wordlessly gave his other hand to Patricia's outstretched hand. Patricia took a deep breath, then with all her strength, strained to haul Aya from the ledge. The two fell on the concrete floor, with Aya inevitably ending on top of Patricia.

Panting, their gazes locked on each other, their minds still a little dazed to realize their awkward position, their hearts pounding. Patricia's gaze fell on the gaping wound on Aya's shoulder. She then wordlessly slipped an arm underneath his uninjured shoulder and helped him up despite his protests. He was about to brush her arm away when a sharp stab of pain hit him. Patricia's worried eyes were his last memory as he slipped into darkness.

*******

"Can't this van go any faster? Aya's bleeding to death here!"

Aya stirred at the sound of the voice. It sounded like it belonged to a girl. It was vaguely familiar. He seemed like he was on something that was moving. They moved abruptly to the right.

"Kudou, watch where you're going!" another familiar but masculine voice said sharply. "I think he's coming to," the male voice whispered to someone Aya couldn't see.

Aya tried to open his eyes, but he squinted them shut when a bright light confronted him. _Am I dead_? he wondered to himself. He heard that those about to die would see a bright light.

"Dim the lights. It's blinding him," the feminine voice ordered in a firm voice. "Wake up, Sleeping Beauty," she whispered against his ear. 

Aya's eyes opened. He saw Ken looming over him. Aya's gaze, however, focused on the owner of the feminine voice. Patricia was looking at him with worried eyes.

That was when everything came back to Aya. He had been shot on the shoulder and would have nearly fallen off the hotel's rooftop if it weren't for…Patricia. He raised his right hand and touched the wound. He felt the sticky wetness of his own blood. 

"Don't touch it," Patricia told him firmly, pushing away his hand. Aya turned to her. "Whatever you do, don't fall asleep again. We thought we were going to lose you a while ago." Aya shifted, trying to get up but an excruciating pain in his shoulder made him slump back. He seemed to be propped up against something soft.

"Don't move either. Not only are you hurting yourself, you're hurting me as well," Patricia told him wryly. So, he was propped up against Patricia. "You still haven't completely stopped bleeding. I think the bullet must have torn an artery. You've been out for a few minutes. We're in the van right now."

"We're here," Youji announced, stopping the van. Patricia turned to Ken. "Help me carry him to his apartment." Ken nodded. Together, she and Ken, with Youji opening the door, carried Aya into his room. 

As soon as Aya was settled in the bed, Patricia began issuing orders. The two, Ken and Youji, hurriedly obeyed her. Then she looked gravely at Aya. "How are you feeling?"

Weakened by blood loss, Aya didn't have the strength to lie. "Like hell," he whispered in a hoarse voice. He looked down at himself. He was no longer wearing his trench coat. "I took the liberty of taking off your trench coat. It got in the way when we were trying to stop your bleeding," Patricia explained.

"What were you doing there?" Aya suddenly asked her. Her sudden appearance at the nick of time baffled him more than anything else did.

"I–" her sentence was cut off when Youji and Ken arrived carrying all sorts of stuff. Patricia asked them to put the stuff on a coffee table she had placed beside the bed. "Do you need anything else?" Youji asked.

Patricia shook her head. "No. I'll call you when I need help. I'll be OK alone." She picked up a towel and soaked it in the basin of warm water. She gave them an arch look. "Well?"

The two left, but not before casting Aya a worried glance.

Patricia began to wipe off the blood on Aya's shoulder. "You're lucky the bullet passed cleanly through your shoulder without doing any damage to your bones." She moistened a ball of cotton with antiseptic. She gently swabbed Aya's wound. "All I have to do is sew you up." She then picked up a surgical needle and thread.

Aya watched as Patricia's hands carefully and fluidly sewed together his torn flesh. Then his amethyst eyes focused on Patricia herself. Her brows were knitted together in concentration as she pulled the needle back and forth into his flesh. Finally, his wound bandaged and sewn together, his left arm in a sling and his arm sore from a shot of antibiotics to prevent infection, Patricia cheerfully announced that he was going to be all right.

She gave Aya a glass of water to drink. "Not bad," she said, looking critically at her work on Aya's shoulder. "Now, I don't want you moving about for a few days. You need rest from the blood loss." Aya opened his mouth to protest but was cut off when Patricia placed a finger on his lips. "I don't want to hear any objections, Fujimiya. You are not going to hurt yourself by your stubbornness. You are going to lie there for a week. Then you can begin to move about as you please."

Aya's eyes glittered with anger at her words. He didn't like anyone telling him what to do. Especially if the one telling him happened to be a Takatori. "Just because you saved my life, doesn't mean I have to obey you," he said to her cuttingly.

Patricia ignored the jibe. "If those stitches don't heal, not only do you have a chance of dying from blood loss, you can also die of gangrene or you can also lose your left arm." She stared hard at Aya. "I'm sure none of those possibilities are acceptable to you, but if you're to insist this silly attitude of yours, I'm going to have to put you under anesthesia and tranquilizers."

"You wouldn't dare," Aya said in a cold voice.

She gave him her best smile. "Try me, Fujimiya," she retorted in a tone that plainly told Aya that she meant what she said.

They stared hard at each other. Aya struggled hard with the idea of a Takatori dictating what he should do. However, that idea seemed more acceptable than being drugged to sleep. At least he would be awake at the former suggestion. "Fine," he said through clenched teeth.

Patricia let out a sigh of relief. "Good. Now, where should I sleep?"

"You! Sleep here? Are you out of your mind?" Aya choked out. He glared at her.

An amused look lit up her face. It was the first time she saw Aya lose his temper. "I'm going to be the one taking care of you. Surely you don't believe I'm going to let anyone else to look after you?" Patricia smiled to herself as Aya went completely livid with outrage.

*******

"So, how's your patient?' Manx asked Patricia. Manx glanced at a scowling Aya. It had been five days since Aya's injury. Patricia had been taking care of him with the strictness of a drill sergeant. He resisted for a while but soon gave in after he realized his efforts were futile. Patricia was far more strong-willed that he had previously thought. Nothing seemed to deter her at all.

"Cantankerous, stubborn and silly," Patricia replied with a smile. She ignored the venomous glance Aya gave her. "But I'm used to that. He's improving rather fast and well, thank God. Any news on whomever had Hagiri killed? We probably should watch out for them."

Manx shook her head. "None yet. I'll see you around. Get well soon, Aya." Then she left.

Patricia glanced at her patient. Aya was still glaring at her. She knew he probably hated her more than ever by now, but she didn't really care. It was his health she was concerned about, not his feelings for her. 

Speaking of feelings, her thoughts drifted to an unexpected incident that revealed to Patricia what exactly were Aya's feelings for his imouto.

A high fever had attacked Aya Fujimiya a few hours after Patricia had treated his wound. Patricia was about to go to sleep on Aya's couch when she heard a soft moan. She hurried towards Aya's room and to her horror, she found Aya tossing and turning on the bed. When she touched his forehead, she quickly pulled back her hand. Aya was burning with fever.

Patricia had worked frantically to bring the fever down–exhausting everyone's supply of ice cubes in the process. Aya had been delirious for most of the time, his feverish body twisting against the sheets. He kept on muttering about his sister, Aya-chan. Patricia couldn't understand what he was muttering about, but he seemed like he was asking his sister for her forgiveness or something along that line. His voice had been filled with guilt and anguish. After about an hour of rubbing a cold towel all over his body, Aya's fever went down.

When he woke up the next day, he had no memory of the fever, which was just as well. She didn't want him being more uncomfortable with her.

Patricia knew a little about Aya-chan. Aya-chan had been in a coma for two years–thanks to one of Reiji's cruel acts. Shuuichi had once hinted to her that Aya-chan had been one of the reasons why Aya joined Weiβ.

_Now, you can't bring yourself to face your sister_, Patricia thought sadly. _Fujimiya no baka_. Her eyes softened for a moment.

Aya was surprised by the change in Patricia's gold-green eyes. Now that he thought about it, in the past few days, his life had been full of surprises and new discoveries. He found out that Patricia wasn't simply deterred by his 'nos' or by his death glares. She usually found a way to go around those nos and glares, usually by cajoling, reasoning, teasing, taunting or by simply looking at him directly into the eyes. Much to his astonishment, he found himself bending to her will. He would resist at first, but she usually won in the contest of wills that would erupt between them. Sometimes, Patricia would remind him of his sister, Aya-chan. 

Aya shook his head violently at the thought. Gods, he must really be sick to associate his sister with Patricia. His sister was sweet, innocent, and cheerful while Patricia was completely–

He stopped. He realized then that he knew absolutely nothing about Patricia other than the fact that she was a member of Kritiker and was Reiji's sister and the other stuff Manx told them about her. She never talked about herself. Nevertheless, she had saved his life and nursed him back to health. Thanks to Patricia's strict regiment, Aya was rapidly healing his wound and gaining back his strength.

The fact that a Takatori once again saved his life rankled. He's supposed to hate the Takatoris, but how was he going to continue hating them if they were to keep on saving him and being nice to him?

"Are you OK, Fujimiya?" Patricia's voice brought Aya back to reality. "Yes," he hissed back.

Patricia rolled her eyes. "If you say so. Now, I'm going to change your bandage." Much to her surprise, he didn't argue with her. Instead, he was looking at her with his intense violet eyes as she began to put fresh bandages on his wound.

"Thank you," he said slowly.

Patricia stopped unwrapping his bandage and gave him an odd look. "Why? For saving your life?" He nodded curtly. "That was expected of me, Fujimiya. I couldn't let another co-agent die, could I?" One of her eyebrows shot up. "Do you think I'd oblige you for saving your life?" She saw his face darken, confirming her suspicions. "Listen to me, Fujimiya. If there were anyone obliged here, that would be me, not you. So, put your mind at ease. I saved your life because I have to, not as a Takatori, but as a member of Weiβ. However, if you're going to insist on this 'oblige' thing, you can start obliging me by not protesting too much when I take care of you. It's getting a bit tiresome." She then resumed the unwrapping of his bandage in silence.

Aya stared at her and discreetly studied her face. She looked very tired. There were hints of eyebags in her eyes and she was considerably thinner. Aya remembered the time he woke up the day after his injury. He had found her sitting on a chair beside him, looking like she's been through hell. Aya later discovered from Omi that Aya had had a high fever during the night and Patricia spent the whole night bringing the fever down all by herself. Despite the fact that she was bone weary, her gold-green eyes still sparkled with laughter, hope, and determination. Moreover, she still managed to smile.

Patricia Deschanel was an exceptional and mysterious young woman and suddenly, Aya wanted to know more about her.

"There. You're pretty much healed now," she finally said. She let out a sigh. She smiled at him, then glanced at her watch. Aya noticed she always glanced at her watch. "You should go to sleep now." Standing up, she picked up the first aid kit and headed for the door. "Thanks for staying still this time, Fujimiya."

"My name is Aya."

Patricia stared at him for a moment. She smiled at him once again. "Good night…Aya." She turned off the lights and darkness once again wrapped itself around Aya's room.

*******

"So, how is he?" Youji and Ken asked in unison when they saw Patricia come out of apartment. "Is he doing any better?"

"Yeah." She walked towards her apartment. She stopped and gave the two an amused look. "Why don't you visit him? I mean, he's your next-door neighbor."

"I didn't want to get a lecture from you," Youji said soberly. Aya's injury had subdued his usual cheery attitude. _We shouldn't have chased those four men. If we hadn't, Aya wouldn't have gotten shot. We should have followed Aya. Aya nearly fell to his death. If Patricia hadn't–_Youji refused to think about the consequences.

As if sensing his sudden pensive mood, Youji felt Patricia's hand pat his arm. "Things like this happen sooner or later, Youji. The best thing we can do is to make sure it doesn't happen again." She leaned against the balcony. "What makes you think I'm going to lecture you?"

"You seemed mad as hell in the van. Hell, Patricia, we screwed up! We should have planned a bit more. If we had–" Ken let the sentence lie there.

"Unfortunately, 'ifs' won't wash blood." She took a deep breath. "The deed's done, Ken. We can't undo it. Aya should be fine in a day or two."

The two assassins looked at each other. _Aya?_ they asked themselves silently. _Patricia called Aya by his name._ That was certainly unusual. As far as they knew, Patricia never called Aya by his name. The two made no secret of the fact that they cordially detested each other. Patricia always calls Aya by his surname. Patricia wouldn't have dared say Aya's name unless Aya allowed her to.

Patricia caught the look. "What? Don't you want him to get well?" she asked, misinterpreting the look the two exchanged.

Ken stared at her. Patricia probably didn't realize the significance of Aya giving her permission to call Aya by his first name. "Of course we want him to get well," Ken answered, smiling secretly to himself.

"One thing still bothers me, though. What were you doing there?" Youji wanted to know. Patricia's appearance in the scene seemed somewhat miraculous.

_Am I going to tell them why I happen to be there?_ Patricia asked herself. The fact that she had been on the hotel when the whole thing happened was entirely a coincidence. She was meeting someone there, someone the members of Weiβ Kreuz should not know about. Her mind raced for a suitable explanation. "I was passing through the neighborhood, doing some…investigation. I saw you guys and decided to follow you," she began. 

__

Youji's eyes widened. "You saw us? Damn, we must have been clumsy!"

Patricia didn't comment on that one. "I went to the hotel and heard gunshots. As I was running up the ladder, I noticed Aya and decided to follow him. When I was near the rooftop, I heard a single gunshot. When I got there, I saw that Aya was hanging on the ledge by one hand. I rushed to pull him up. He slipped when he was trying to pull himself up. Luckily, I caught him before he fell." She glanced at the two. From the look on their faces, she saw that they believed her. _Well, I told the truth anyway,_ she told herself_. I was in the neighborhood, investigating but damn!_ She couldn't tell them what was she investigating about. She gave them a tired smile. "I'll see you tomorrow. I need some sleep. G'night, guys," she waved at them before finally entering her apartment.

She didn't bother to open the lights. She found her way to the bedroom and without delay flung herself on the bed. Then she closed her eyes and immediately fell asleep. 

Unknown to Patricia, in a building several meters away form the apartment, there were a pair of eyes watching. When its owner saw Patricia go inside her apartment, the owner of those watchful eyes simply slipped back into the darkness.

****

~T.B.C~

Aww, poor Aya. He gets injured and Patti takes advantage of him. Imagine, Aya being bullied. Hey, if I were in Patti's place, I'd completely take advantage of the situation, if you know what I mean *wink* *wink* **;P**

Sorry, Ken and Aya fans…I'm a hetero advocate of Weiβ. But wait, there's still Yaoi. 

LOVE me DO! Ohohohohoho! (My thanks to Miki-sensei)

It's has begun…the clone war, I mean. Yay, Star Wars!

To all my readers, a heartfelt thanks! And promise, Aeris, no yaoi pairing for Ken!


	9. Chapter IV C: Tainted Hands

****

Disclaimer: You know the drill. I don't own Weiβ, I don't make money with this fanfiction and I don't want to be sued.

****

Chapter IV. C: Tainted Hands

"So, how was your date with Aya?" Youji teased Patricia. 

Patricia scowled at him. "It was not a date. Aya and I simply ate dinner together."

Youji winked at her. "In a very fancy restaurant? Sounds like a date to me," he went on.

Patricia then decided to ignore Youji. She had known him long enough to know that her answers would only provide fire to his prodding. She turned back to her task of arranging flowers, letting her mind wander.

She and Aya had been constant dinner companions for almost two weeks now. However, that does not mean that she and Aya were dating. A date happens when someone asks someone out because that someone was interested with the other someone. Aya did not ask her; he ordered her.

Patricia had been completely bewildered the first time they went out. She had been sitting on her couch one morning, reading a book, when Aya suddenly barged in. She gave him a startled glance, trying to assess his mood. "My, aren't we in a good mood today," she said mildly when she saw the determined look on his face.

"You're eating dinner with me tonight," he ordered without any preamble in a firm voice.

"I am? I will?" 

"You are," Aya repeated, voice hardening.

Patricia was not accustomed to being ordered about in this manner. She stood up, gold-green eyes blazing with irritation. "Who do you think you are, barging in here and ordering me about? I don't want to have dinner with a rude, bossy, not to mention hardheaded person like you!"

"I don't care what you want," Aya replied blandly, though his voice was laced with steel. "I expect you to be ready at eight o' clock." Patricia opened her mouth to reply but Aya stopped her with a glare. "No objections. You're going to dinner with me even if I have to drag you out." Then he left, leaving Patricia staring dazedly at the door.

Patricia had been tempted to defy Aya, but there was something in the way he looked at her that told her that disobeying Aya this time would not be a very good idea. So, at exactly eight o' clock, she was ready to go. 

The restaurant he took her was just superb. Then after dinner, he took her to a play that happened to be one of Patricia's favorite. It had been a pleasant evening, but one thing still nagged Patricia. On the drive home, Patricia asked the inevitable question. "Why?"

Aya looked at her straight in the eye when he replied, "Because I want to."

Patricia took a deep breath, trying to rein in her temper. "I don't think so. Why?"

"Does it matter?" Aya retorted with a slightly amused smile on his lips. 

Try as she might, Patricia could not find a suitable reply to that.

That was the beginning of their dinners together. She hated to admit it, but she liked being with the redhead. She didn't really mind having dinner with Aya. He was quiet most of the time, letting his body language do the talking for him. Figuring out what he was thinking and feeling had almost become some sort of interesting game between the two of them. A faint smile touched her lips when she remembered how accurate her guesses were.

Behind Patricia, Aya was watching the only female member of Weiβ with narrowed, though proud eyes. _She handled Youji's questions quite well_, Aya thought to himself. Aya himself was close-mouthed on why he frequently had Patricia as a dinner companion. 

It was quite funny how his near-death experience affected him. He had been near the brink of death before, but not quite as close like the last one. For a few seconds, he thought his life was completely over, until he felt Patricia gripping his wrist tightly, the look in her eyes plainly telling him that she had no intention of letting him go.

Since then, he had begun to look at Patricia in a new light. Nowadays, he rarely saw her as Reiji's sister. Rather, he now saw her as a member of Weiβ and in a very gradual manner, perhaps, a friend. 

Feeling Aya's gaze on her, she turned to him. Aya quickly looked away. Could it be possible that Aya was suspecting that she was here for something else and asking her out to dinner was a way of keeping an eye on her? The thought set off alarms in her head. They mustn't find out why she was here, especially Aya. Not yet anyway.

Suddenly, Patricia felt a tap on her shoulder. She turned, half-expecting to see another over-eager male with a bunch of flowers for her. Instead, the sight of a young woman in a racing suit greeted her. "Hello! What can I do for you?" Patricia asked cheerfully, pushing away her thoughts on Aya.

The girl smiled at her. That didn't happen often to Patricia when she was working in the flower shop. The girls, like the ones in the mob in front of the shop, usually glared and scowled at Patricia for the obvious reason that Patricia got to work with their crushes. The girl touched the petals of a lily. "I would like to–" the girl stopped, eyes suddenly wide. Then she blurted out one word. "Ken?"

"Yuriko?" Ken choked, his eyes wide with disbelief. There was a sudden crash as he dropped the flowerpot he was carrying. He stared at the girl with a stunned expression on his face.

"Oh, Ken, it is you!" the girl Ken called Yuriko cried out in a joyous voice. Pushing aside a startled Patricia, Yuriko ran towards Ken and flung her arms around Ken's neck. There were tears in her eyes as she gazed at Ken. "I thought I'd never see you again," she whispered in a voice thick with emotions.

Ken gently held the girl against him, savoring the feel of her. Warmth spread around his chest. It had been so long since he felt this way. Then, reality slowly seeped back into his brain. He gently disengaged Yuriko's arms around his neck and held her at arm's length. "What are you doing here?" he asked her.

Her beautiful eyes gazed into him. Ken felt his heart melt. "I was passing through. I saw the flowers and I remembered you and–" her voice faded as she became aware that all eyes were on them. Yuriko and Ken blushed. "We'll talk later," Yuriko whispered, almost magically pressing a piece of paper into Ken's hand. Smiling at him, she headed for her motorcycle then drove away.

Patricia watched the scene unfold with rapt attention. As Yuriko walked away, Patricia focused on Ken. Ken was clutching the piece of paper as if it were the most important thing in his life.

*******

"So, Ken-kun's girlfriend's back," Omi muttered as he bit into a slice of pizza. He looked at Youji, who, much to Omi's dismay, was busy attacking the whole pizza. "Youji-kun! Leave some for me! It's my pizza," Omi demanded.

Youji ignored him and took another slice of pizza. "Sorry, kid, but I haven't eaten yet." Youji grinned. "Besides, you can always ask Patricia to make you one."

"This is the pizza she made for me. I just shared it with you because I knew you haven't eaten yet, though I hadn't counted on you completely devouring it," Omi pointed out. "Speaking of Patti-san, don't tell me she's with Aya-kun again?"

"Yeah." Youji saw Omi's eyes narrow. "What's the problem, Omittchi? Don't tell me you're jealous of Ayan because your aunt is spending more time with him?"

Face flaming in embarrassment, Omi replied, "I'm not jealous. Its just that for me, seeing Aya-kun and Patti-san together stretches the bounds of reality."

_But not for me_, Youji thought. Youji had known Aya long enough to predict and to guess Aya's moves. Youji had seen it coming through the little things that Aya does whenever Patricia was there: the glimmer of interest in Aya's eyes when he first met Patricia, the subtle way Aya sought her advise and opinion, the hint of respect in Aya's voice when he talked to her–the list could go on and on and it only confirmed the fact that Aya was attracted to Patricia. Aya had his doubts about her, that was certain, but they wouldn't be that much of a hindrance to Aya.

As for Patricia, she seemed oblivious to Aya's attraction to her. On whether she liked Aya back, Youji couldn't tell. She treated Aya the way she treated all of them, although she loved baiting the stoic Aya more than the rest of them. 

Youji glanced at Omi. Omi was busy polishing off his pizza. Youji smiled. Omi was like his aunt, a little oblivious to whatever's happening around him. Omi then looked up and smiled back at him.

Youji leaned back on the sofa, the smile frozen on his face. Gods, does Omi know what he does to him when he smiled like that? Youji mentally shook his head. No, Omi wouldn't know. He was simply too naïve to suspect that Youji's feelings for him goes beyond brotherly love, which was just as well. Youji didn't want Omi to find out about Youji's feelings anytime soon. Youji didn't want anybody to find out, especially Patricia. He had seen her giving him odd looks every now and then.

Why he was attracted to Omi was something Youji couldn't quite figure out. Perhaps it was Omi's kind-heartedness, his cheerfulness, and his optimism that had drawn Youji closer to him. On the other hand, maybe it was because Omi was his complete opposite. Many say opposites attract.

"Oi, Youji-kun, are you going to have that last slice of pizza?" Omi asked.

Youji smiled and nodded. He took the last slice of pizza. Whatever the reason was, one thing is for sure: Patricia makes a great pizza.

*******

Ken paced his room back and forth, his hands holding the piece of paper Yuriko gave him tightly. _Should I call her?_ he thought, glancing at his cell phone.

Ken glanced at his hands. They were shaking_. These hands…with these hands I have murdered countless people_, Ken mused. _How could I let my bloodstained hands touch something so pure like Yoriko?_

Seeing the woman he loved was nearly his undoing. Ken couldn't believe that she was standing there, looking more beautiful than ever. It had been a year since they had last met and talked. The last time he ever saw her was when she was boarding the plane for Australia. Ken's guts twisted as he remembered the tears and desolation in Yuriko's eyes when Ken told her he couldn't come with her to Australia. After she left, Ken spent a few days locked in his room, remembering the happy moments that they shared. Happy moments that seemed like a far away dream as harsh reality claimed Ken. 

_She doesn't belong in our world, Ken_, Youji had told him, _she wouldn't understand_. 

_I'm an assassin. I don't deserve her. I'll only ruin her future_. Ken sat on a chair, head in his hands. _But I want to be with her…so much. I want to see her and hold her so much that it hurts_.

Taking a deep breath, Ken stood up, picked up his cell phone, and dialed Yuriko's number.

*******

Ken stared at the ceiling, mind lost in thought. He wasn't thinking of anything in particular. He was just letting random thoughts filter through his mind.

"Ken?" a feminine voice murmured softly, breaking through Ken's thoughts. Ken suddenly became aware of something warm and soft beside him. His gaze then shifted to the young woman beside him. Their eyes met, and she smiled, her eyes glowing with joy.

A sudden stab of pain hit Ken's heart as Yuriko smiled. Ken immediately sat up, startling the girl into wakefulness. He tore off the covers. He was starting to slide out of the bed when Yuriko grabbed his arm. "What's wrong, Ken?" she asked softly. Ken did not face her. "Look at me, Ken!" she demanded in a panic-stricken voice.

Ken closed his eyes. It had been so wonderful. Everything had been perfect. Being with Yuriko, loving her and holding her close, it felt so right and yet so wrong at the same time. He still loved her and he knew she still loved him. Once again, however, as always, reality came rushing back, separating them once more. He was an assassin. He didn't deserve to be loved. He was too tainted with blood.

Ken jerked his arm away from her. Yuriko gave him an incredulous look. He wordlessly stood up and began to pick up his clothes, putting them on. He steeled himself for the inevitable.

"Do you still love me, Ken? Have you ever really loved me?" Yuriko's hoarse voice stopped Ken. He turned to look at her. She was crying now, tears falling down her cheeks. Ken forced himself to remain dispassionate. He had to cut her off from him. She deserved someone better than him. "No," he replied coldly. _Don't listen to what I'm saying! Don't believe me! I love you!_ "You were just a summer fling. I thought you understood that."

Her eyes widened. "But–"

"But what, Yuriko?" Ken interrupted harshly as he continued to dress. "You didn't actually believe I loved you? Women. You're so gullible. Just whisper some sweet words and they jump into the sack with you. I–"

Yuriko's slap threw Ken's head back. "Get out! I don't want to see your face again," she shouted at him. He looked at her, face bleak. Without another word, he left the room.

*******

_Urgent. Go to my apartment as soon as you arrive. Cat's business._

Ken slowly read the note on his door. So, Patricia wants him to go to her apartment. Ken wondered why. After his disastrous meeting with Yuriko, Ken didn't feel the need to talk to anyone. He just wanted to lie in bed and wallow in his own misery, to cry his eyes out.

However, Ken couldn't just ignore Patricia's note. 'Cat's business' was their code name for any matters concerning Kritiker. Ken sighed. He slowly headed for Patricia's apartment. He knocked on her door twice.

Patricia opened the door. When she looked at him, her eyes widened. "Are you all right, Ken?" she asked, noticing his red eyes and the haunted expression on his face.

"I'm fine," he answered shortly. He mentally kicked himself. He shouldn't take out his frustrations on Patricia. "Sorry, I didn't mean to be rude." He apologized soberly.

Patricia was about to say something but she hesitated and shrugged. She stepped back to allow him to enter. Ken noticed she was wearing formal business clothes. _What is this all about?_ he thought, suddenly nervous.

"Manx came while you were out. She told me I would be the one to brief you of the new mission. The others should be arriving in a few minutes." Patricia didn't miss the stricken look that appeared on Ken's face when she said the word 'mission'. Pursing her lips, Patricia surmised that there was something wrong. 

Ken saw understanding dawn in Patricia's eyes. Ken inwardly groaned. Patricia was sure to probe him about what was wrong with him. 

"Ken," she began.

_Please don't ask me. Please…_Ken thought_._

"Would you like something to drink?" 

Ken nodded with relief. Patricia went into the kitchen then came back with two Coke cans. She handed one to Ken and opened the other for herself. She took a long swig. "It's hot, isn't it? I've forgotten how hot Japan could be in the summer." She motioned for Ken to sit down on the couch. She sat beside him. "Our new mission is about the organization that hired Hagiri."

_Ah_, Ken thought, taking a long drink. "So, Kritiker has new information about the organization. By the way, where are the others?"

Patricia shrugged. "I have no idea." As if on cue, the door then burst open, revealing the other three members of Weiβ. Aya was standing behind a dressed-up Youji while Omi was busy picking up the books that scattered when he accidentally tripped. Patricia glared at them. "Where have you been? Manx was looking for you."

Youji smiled at her. "Sorry. I had a date with a girl I met yesterday."

"Another one? Don't you get tired of dating a different girl each day?"

Eyebrows raised, Youji replied, "Look whose talking. It's not like you haven't had a lot of boyfriends."

Patricia shot Youji an indignant look. "For your information, I have had only one true boyfriend."

"Really? What happened to him?"

"I married him," she answered casually. She gave Youji a level look. "Enough about that. Manx came here a while ago with our mission. Manx couldn't wait for you guys so she gave me the job of briefing you." Patricia held up an envelope and handed it over to Aya. "As of now, we don't know what name of the organization that hired Hagiri. All we know are their activities." She motioned for them to sit down. "They're kidnapping young girls, ages between eighteen and twenty two." Patricia gave Youji an arch look when she noticed him smile. "Just around your age preference, Youji. Anyway, the girls inevitably turn up dead, missing body parts–usually their reproductive organs–and drained of blood."

Aya scanned the contents of the folder. "Is this all the information Kritiker has gathered?" From his tone, the others could tell that the information in the envelope was judged inadequate. Aya gave the folder to Youji who studied it for a moment. Youji whistled.

"It appears so."

"But it isn't enough! Where are they taking the girls? What vehicles do they use? Damn it, with this kind of information we might as well be fortunetellers!" Youji complained, slouching on the couch. 

Turning to Patricia, Aya asked, "Have you done any research yet?"

Patricia shook her head. "Not yet. I just came home a while ago. Ken arrived an hour after me. Manx said that the girls were all living or had once lived in a certain place downtown."

"All right," Aya was saying, going to what Youji called Aya's I-am-the-leader-I-make-the-decisions-you-will-not-counter-it mode. "Omi, Patricia and Ken, find out more about the victims. The victims should have something in common other than their ages and residence. Youji and I will scout out the place." They all nodded and stood up. "We'll keep in touch."

"Check out the doctors or medical labs in the area," Ken suddenly said. The group stared at him. He hadn't spoken during the whole discussion. Ken looked at them. "Whomever doing this could be a doctor, possibly someone who has expertise on the female reproductive organs or an expert on blood. After all, they're the only ones who could use this stuff."

"Ken has a point," Patricia conceded. "Maybe it's another one of those genetic studies." She turned to her nephew. "Omi, check the girl's medical backgrounds. I think we'll find something useful there." 

"Why are you dressed like that?" Youji asked, noting her formal clothes. "You look like something straight out of a business magazine."

Patricia shrugged, a gesture that told them that she wasn't going to bother to fully explain. "I went to a business meeting. I own a major percentage of stocks in a company and I sometimes go there to know what's going on. It's nothing major." She picked up her empty can of Coca-Cola. "Want some drinks?"

*******

"Ken, can you wait for a sec?" Patricia asked him as the guys were about to leave. She gave Ken a dimpled smile, a tactic she used quite often to get the results that she wanted. Ken ignored the curious looks the others directed at him. Ken turned to Patricia.

"Something's wrong. What is it?" Ken didn't reply. "Ken, do you love her?" she asked him bluntly.

His eyes widened. "Do I love who?"

"The girl that glomped you. Do you love her?"

Ken's face hardened. "I don't see how that's any of your business," he replied stiffly.

"It is. Your problem affects your work; it also affects your social skills. You're being very rude." Patricia gave Ken a small sad smile. Her eyes had a far-away look in them. "If you do love each other, don't let go," she told him in a serious voice. "True love comes only once in a lifetime. Seize it when you see it."

"I'm an assassin–a murderer," Ken pointed out bitterly. "Love isn't for me."

"Says who?" Patricia leaned on the door. "Love is for everyone willing to take it and to give it. There are no exceptions. In your case, loving might be a very difficult thing to do, but not impossible." She touched his cheek. "I don't want to see you unhappy, Ken. You're a good friend." Patricia liked Ken. They both loved kids and both spend their free time coaching kids. It wasn't unusual for them to hang out together, watching games, eating with their protegees or discussing about sports. The time they spent with each other created a friendly bond between them. 

Ken looked away. "Your advice came too late. I've hurt her too much for her to forgive me and to take me back." Ken felt a dull ache in his heart as he remembered the spiteful words he said to Yoriko. He had made sure she would never want to see him again. 

Patricia shook her head. "I don't think so. I don't know who the girl is, but I think she's not the type who'd give up easily and neither are you. Girls aren't dense, you know." A mischievous look sprang in her eyes. "Why don't you go and patch up things with her? Omi and I can handle the research stuff," she suggested.

Ken managed a small smile. "Thanks for the talk." He felt a little comforted now. "I'll think about it."

"Do." She patted his hand. "I'll see you tomorrow." Her smile was fleeting. "Be well, Ken."

*******

"Another mistake!" a man wearing a bloodied lab coat raged. With one huge arm, he swept several medical equipment off the table. There was a deafening clatter as the medical equipment fell into the floor, smashing into pieces. The man shook his head, disgusted at yet another 'mistake'.

"What shall I do with the body?" a small, piping voice asked. The man turned and glared at his assistant.

"What else, you fool? You dispose of the carcass the usual way!" He was furious. He had been searching for years, on a multitude of girls hoping the find the one thing he wanted–what the organization wanted, but he has yet to find it. The other members of the organization were getting impatient for results. That was not good. He did not want to displease them. He knew what price he would pay if he were to fail.

He turned to his other assistants. "Clean up this mess!" He waved at the shattered equipment on the floor. And bring in the next subject!" he ordered. His assistants scurried to obey.

The man sat on a chair, glancing at the list in front of him. This was the list of his patients and from this list, he picked the ones that were most likely to have what he was looking for. A name caught his eye, and he smiled.

*******

"Any new information?" Omi asked Aya through the transceiver. Aya was downtown, along with Youji, scouting the area where most of the victims came from. 

"There are about five doctors in the area," Aya replied, his voice cackling over the transceiver. 

"Any gynecologists or obstetricians?" Omi wanted to know.

"Any what?" Youji demanded in a baffled voice.

"A gynecologist is a doctor that specializes in women, specifically their reproductive organs; an obstetrician is a doctor that specializes on pregnancy and birth. Patti-san told me to check them out–on account that all the victims are women and the missing parts are their reproductive organs." Omi heard a grunt then the sound of paper being flipped. A moment later, Aya spoke. "There is one. A doctor named Shin Yukino."

"He came up in my search too. It seems like he's been doing some kind of research on genetic disorders in women." Omi paused, suddenly realizing the significance of what he said. "Aya-kun, I think–"

"I got that. We're checking him out now."

"Uh–Aya-kun?" Omi started to say in a hesitant voice.

"What, Omi?" Aya sounded annoyed.

"Do you know where Patti-san is? I haven't seen her since yesterday's briefing." 

There was a long pause. "Your aunt is a grown woman, Omi. She can take care of herself," Aya replied coldly. "Abyssinian out."

*******

Aya shifted his attention back to the road. He willed himself not to be bothered by what Omi had said.

"That was very unsympathetic. Omi sounded very worried about his aunt," Youji observed. He took out a cigarette. Aya quickly grabbed the stick and threw it out the window. "Don't smoke in my car," Aya warned.

"Well, excuse me!" Youji peered at Aya's face. Aya's face was a little pale. "You're worried, Fujimiya."

Glaring at Youji, Aya said. "No," he replied evenly.

Youji cocked an eyebrow. "Really? You're not fooling anyone, Ayan."

"Neither are you, Youji," Aya retorted.

Youji laughed. "You think I fancy Patricia?"

"I didn't mean Patricia." Aya's purple eyes were penetrating as he spoke. "I was pertaining to her nephew."

Silence followed Aya's words. Youji lit a cigarette. Aya didn't stop him from smoking. "So you noticed," Youji finally said, inhaling the bitter smoke. That probably explained the stares Youji had been getting from Aya lately. Aya had been watching his actions around Omi. _Damn_. Youji didn't try to evade Aya; it was no use bullshitting around Aya. Aya was too damned smart for that.

"Keep your hands to yourself, Kudou. Omi doesn't need you meddling in his life," Aya told him. "Omi's not quite as innocent as other teens, but he's still innocent. You are definitely not. I won't have you jumping into his life, hurting and confusing him more. Find another toy to play with."

"Aren't we a bit overprotective?" Youji said mildly, wincing at Aya's words. "Relax, Ayan. I won't hurt him. Patricia will kill me." Youji noticed Aya's barely perceptible frown when Youji mentioned Patricia's name. Youji then decided to grab the bull by its horns. "You like Patricia a lot, don't you?" Youji gulped when he saw the glare Aya gave him. If looks could kill, Youji would be dead by now. However, Youji persisted. _If Aya can criticize my feelings, I can also criticize his as well._

"It's high time you got interested in someone. I was beginning to think you have plans to become a eunuch," Youji continued. "Can't blame you for liking her. She's a great girl. You two would have made a good couple." Youji met Aya's blazing violet eyes unflinchingly. "Too bad she happens to be a Takatori and we all know how you hate Takatoris. You're not playing around her, are you? That's not a good thing."

The car screeched into a sudden halt, pitching Youji forward. "What I do or feel for Patricia is none of your business, Kudou." Aya's voice was tight with anger as he spoke.

"So are my feelings for Omi," Youji pointed out. Aya didn't say anything. He simply got the car moving again. Youji was quiet as well. He didn't like the bitter taste in his mouth. 

*******

"Damn, damn, _damn_!" Patricia swore softly as she made her way through the dark, empty streets. _I should have checked the car! I should have brought my phone! _she berated herself. Suddenly, raindrops fell rapidly from the sky, sending her running for the nearest cover. She was soaked to the skin before she found shelter. _I should have brought my umbrella_, she thought wryly. This had not been a very good day.

Patricia's day couldn't get any worse. She hadn't changed her clothes since last night. She was also very tired. She had been summoned for an emergency board meeting at an ungodly hour last night, sending her rushing to the countryside. When she was going home, her car broke down. As she was about to call for help, she found that she had left her phone. She walked for miles, finally getting a cab. 

When she finally arrived in the town, she was summoned once again to another board meeting. When the meeting ended around midnight, she found to her horror that there was a terrible traffic jam; traffic was at a standstill. She then decided to walk. _I suppose I could have asked one of the guys to pick me up but my pride got in the way_, she mused. She looked around. Most of the shops were closed. The sky was completely black. The street would have pitch black as well if it weren't for the streetlights and the occasional passing vehicles.

"And now, I'm stuck here alone in the rain," she said loudly. She was so tired, too tired for her mind to function in its full capacity. Patricia was in this state when Yuriko found her.

"Are you OK?" Yuriko asked the wet girl. Yuriko had seen her standing underneath an awning. The sight of her soaked figure tugged her heart. She peered at the girl's face. She looked vaguely familiar. "Aren't you the girl that…" Yuriko's voice trailed off as she remembered whom the girl was. The girl who worked with Ken. 

"The girl who works at the flower shop. And you're my savior, I hope," Patricia said wryly. She didn't mention Ken's name. "What are you doing at this hour?" Patricia's watch told her it was two in the morning.

Yuriko shrugged. "Driving around." Actually, the reason Yuriko was here in the town was to visit a friend. Her meeting with Ken had been an unexpected event. There was a moment of awkward silence.

Patricia extended her hand. Then she laughed, taking back her hand. She bowed. "I'm Patricia Deschanel."

_A foreigner_, Yuriko noted. Yuriko hesitantly bowed back. "I'm Yuriko Asou." The foreign girl's surname seemed to ring a bell. "Are you related to Martin Deschanel?" Yuriko asked impulsively. "The late billionaire?" 

A sad smile touched the girl's face. "He was my husband," she replied simply. 

Yuriko was instantly sympathetic to the girl. Yoriko had heard of how in love the Deschanel couple was. Their love tragically ended when Martin Deschanel was killed in a car crash just hours after their wedding. Yuriko was curious why a wealthy widow was walking around town alone–not to mention selling flowers, but she didn't ask. The girl needed Yuriko's help, not her questions. The girl was completely soaked.

Patricia was also busy assessing Yuriko. _This was the woman Ken loves_, Patricia thought. It was such a crazy coincidence that they should meet here of all places. Patricia noticed the haunted look on Yuriko's pretty face–a near replica of Ken's face last night. Patricia decided not to mention Ken as much as possible to Yuriko.

"I'll give you a ride home," Yuriko offered. Patricia nodded. She grinned. "I hope you don't mind having a wet passenger."

Yuriko grinned back. "That's what waterproof racing suits are for." She tossed Patricia a helmet and her spare leather jacket. "Thanks," Patricia said, putting them on. She easily slid on the motorcycle. "Ready?" Yuriko asked. Patricia nodded. "Let's go."

After several minutes of driving, the motorcycle suddenly coughed and sputtered. Then it stopped. "This is not happening!" Yuriko exclaimed, getting off the motorcycle. It was still raining heavily. _It was supposed to be the middle of summer,_ Yoriko thought in irritation. _Why is it raining?_

"The weather is not cooperating," Patricia observed gravely. 

"Neither is my motorcycle." She turned to Patricia. "Can it get any worse than this?" Then without warning, a car whizzed past them, sending a spray of muddy water towards them, dirtying their clothes.

"I had to ask," Yuriko said mournfully. They looked at each other. Then they laughed. It was Yuriko's first genuine laugh since her painful meeting with Ken. It felt good to laugh. It lightened her mood considerably.

"Yuriko, get down!" Patricia screamed suddenly. Patricia yanked down Yuriko's arm, sending them sprawling at the wet ground. "Get out of the way!"

"What's going on?" Yuriko cried out. No sooner had she spoken that a car skidded into a halt in front of them. Two men got out; they were carrying something that looked like guns. One of the men aimed the gun at her. Yuriko froze. She could hear Patricia saying something about running but she couldn't move. The man pulled the trigger.

Yuriko's last memory was her own loud scream of terror.

****

~T.B.C~

What will happen to them? Will Ken come to the rescue? Will Aya? Stay tuned to find out! (I sound like a TV announcer.)

By the way, thank you Ai-chan and Ami-chan, my co-CDL members and major Ran Fujimiya/Weiβ Kreuz fans, for giving me a lot of ideas. Koyasu Takehito and Hikaru Midorikawa and Ryuutaro Okiyaou rules!

By the way (again), the next chapter would probably be focusing more on the romantic relationships of the characters (if it weren't already) so forgive me if I become increasingly mushy or romantic in the following chapters!


	10. Chapter IV D: Summer Rain

****

Disclaimer: I don't own Weiβ, I don't make money with this fanfiction and I don't want to be sued.

****

Chapter IV. D: Summer Rain

"She still isn't home yet."

Youji gave Omi an exasperated look. "Omi, she's a big girl. Your aunt can take care of herself. Stop fidgeting." He thumped the sofa. "Why don't you sit down for a while? Relax, OK? Stop worrying." Youji's voice did not betray the uneasiness he himself was starting to feel. He needed to be calm for Omi's sake.

Omi kept on pacing the room back and forth, ignoring Youji's advice. "How can I relax? My aunt isn't home yet and it's already morning." He then abruptly stopped walking and sat beside Youji. Youji then put an arm around the teenager's shoulders.

Ken glanced outside. Last night's sudden rain had drenched everything in sight. His gaze wandered to the driveway. Patricia's car was not there. Ken had an uneasy feeling that something was wrong. Ken turned to Aya.

Aya sat quietly in a chair beside the window, the expression on his face totally apathetic. Ken resisted the urge to slug his leader for his obvious indifference over the matter. _You'd never think the two of them go out._

An hour or two passed by quickly. Standing up, Omi declared, "I don't know about you guys, but I'm going to look for her." There was a determined look on his normally cheerful face.

"No, Omi. You stay here," Aya said firmly in his calm voice.

"You can't always tell me what to do, Aya," Omi replied in a firm and unafraid voice. Ken and Youji looked up at Omi in surprise. They had never heard Omi take that tone on Aya.

Aya opened his mouth, ready to reply when the door suddenly burst open. The four assassins were instantly alert, taking defensive postures. Much to their relief, their sudden visitor was Manx. Their relief, however, lasted only for a few seconds. There was an urgent tone in Manx voice when she announced, "Patricia's missing."

*******

"She has disappeared? When? Where?" a puzzled disembodied voice demanded over the telephone.

"You mean it wasn't you?" The voice on the other side of the phone sounded bewildered as well. "I thought that when she disappeared, it was you who took her." The voice paused. "If it weren't you, then who was it?"

"I don't know! _Kuso!_" the owner of the disembodied voice swore. "This is not a good thing! She couldn't have just vanished into thin air! Any thing over your side?"

"Manx and the other Weiβ members are currently looking for her."

"I'll look for her as well." Then the line went dead.

*******

****

Yuriko stirred, moaning softly. _Where am I?_ she asked herself. She felt something cold behind her back. 

"You're awake," a familiar voice said. Yoriko opened her eyes. Her eyes focused on a young woman sitting on the floor, back against the wall. It was Patricia Deschanel. Yoriko then suddenly remembered everything. The man with the gun, Patricia's warning and her own loud screams. 

Yuriko looked around. They seemed to be inside some kind of prison made of stone. A steel door barred their way. There were no windows or holes on the walls except the ventilation. There were other girls in the prison, most of them sleeping. Some of them were whimpering and sobbing. They seemed to be around her age. "Where exactly are we?" she asked in a small voice.

Patricia shrugged. "I have no idea. I only woke up a while ago. Looks like we got ourselves imprisoned." A small smile touched Patricia's lips. "I didn't know hitch-hiking was a crime in Japan."

Yuriko managed a weak laugh. "Neither did I." Yuriko then suddenly remembered the recent news of women being found dead, missing some of their organs. Yuriko turned sharply to Patricia, their eyes meeting, understanding. A chill ran up Yuriko's spine when she realized just what kind of trouble they were in. "What are we going to do?" Yuriko closed her eyes. She didn't want to die. She wanted to live. For herself and for Ken. _Ken…_

"I wish I knew." Patricia took a deep, calming breath. As soon as she awoke, she activated the homing device in her earring. "For emergencies," Omi had said. Patricia hoped that she was within Omi's range.

__

Omi's probably worried about me, Patricia thought. She glanced at the forbidding stone walls enclosing them. _This isn't good. We have to get out of here; otherwise, we'll both end up de–_

"I don't want to die." Yuriko's whispered sob brought Patricia back to the present. Patricia knelt beside the younger girl, laying a comforting hand on the girl's shoulder. "Are you all right?"

"Just a little scared. I don't want to die. I want to live," Yuriko was babbling now. She buried her head on her shaking hands and began to sob. "Gods, I still want to do so many things. I want to tell Ken that I love him and that he's an idiot and that I'll–" she broke off her raving when Patricia shook her slightly. Yoriko stared at her.

"Calm down. We're not dead yet." Patricia smiled comfortingly. "There's still hope. We will get out of here." _Guys, I hope you get your butt in here fast!_

*******

"We have a signal!" Omi shouted triumphantly. He gazed at the screen with renewed hope. After hours of seemingly futile searching, Omi had begun to despair that they'd never find her. He opened all tracking frequencies, praying that Patricia turned on the transceiver and homing device in her earring.

"It's faint," Youji observed from behind Omi. "Where is she?" 

Excited, Omi began pressing keys furiously. The answer to Youji's question came in a few seconds. "She's in an abandoned warehouse outside of town. What is she doing there?" Omi asked to no one in particular.

"I still can't believe she managed to go missing," Ken mused. "It's just that she seems so capable."

"She's still a girl," Youji said loftily. "She's still a member of the weaker sex."

"I heard that, Youji," a familiar voice said threateningly over the transceiver. "You'll pay for that."

"Patti-san!" Omi shouted in a voice filled with relief.

Her voice was faint, but they still managed to hear her. "Not so loud, Omi," she chided. "It hurts my ears."

"Where are you?" Aya demanded in a cold voice. "What are you doing in a warehouse?"

"Is that where I am? I didn't know. All I can see here are thick windowless stone walls and a locked steel door. And yes, some unconscious girls as well." There was a pause. They were totally unprepared for her next announcement. "I think I got kidnapped. Sorry."

"Nani?!? Are you all right?" Omi demanded in a worried voice. His relief was replaced by sudden fear.

"Who kidnapped you?" Aya ignored the glare the three sent him at his disregard for Patricia's safety.

"The one were looking for, obviously," she snapped in a tight voice. Then she added brightly, "At least we know where our target takes the girls."

"Are you sure?" Aya persisted.

"Damnation, Aya! Of course I'm sure!" she hissed. "By the way, have you find out who's behind this?"

Youji answered that question. "We think it's a doctor by the name of Shin Yukino. How the hell did you end in there? I thought you were the most cautious in the group."

"I'll tell as soon as you rescue us from here," she retorted dryly. "Is Ken there?"

Ken felt a sudden fear grip his heart. "What's wrong?"

"Yuriko's with me. She's all right. She's sleeping right now. Ken–"

"NO!" Ken's cry of anguish made every one in the room wince. "How? Patricia–"

"It isn't important how!" Patricia said sharply. "We're wasting time. I don't know when will they take another girl for the experiment and…" her voice trailed off. "Get here as fast as you can. I can't do anything without endangering the other girls." She stopped for a moment. When she spoke again, her voice was hardly above a whisper. "The other girls are waking up. I have to go. I'll contact you if there are new developments in the situation here. Ken, I'll watch over Yuriko," she added in a gentler voice. "We'll wait for you. And for God's sake, have some kind of plan." Her voice was then replaced with static.

"You heard her. Let's get ready," Aya told them briskly. He turned to Ken, who was suddenly silent. "Snap out of it, Ken. We have work to do."

*******

"So, uh, what were you doing there alone in the rain?" Yoriko asked, her face flaming in embarrassment. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have asked that." Yuriko wanted to talk. She needed a distraction from her fears.

"My car broke down," Patricia replied calmly. The gajin seemed to be taking her imprisonment in stride. "I forgot my phone and my umbrella; traffic was terrible so I decided to walk. My apartment isn't that far so it seemed like a good idea, but that was before it rained."

"Are you really Patricia Deschanel?" Yuriko asked curiously.

"Yes. Are you curious? I can't blame you. During the last two years, my life has been the subject of numerous tabloids and gossip columns." She sighed wistfully. "I came here to Japan to relax and to get away from it all." She gestured at the stone walls. "Though I didn't mean it this way," she mused wryly.

"I see." Yuriko smiled at the older girl. Yuriko had read about Patricia. Patricia Deschanel was the widow of multibillionaire Martin Deschanel. They had been married for only six hours when Martin got killed in a car accident in Monaco. Patricia was in the car with Martin when the accident happened. She lived; he did not. 

The investigation found that the accident was due to the defective tires of the car; no foul play was detected. But that hadn't stopped people from speculating that Patricia had staged that accident to kill Martin so that she would inherit his wealth–Patricia had received forty billion dollars from him. A frown appeared on Yuriko's face as she thought of the maliciousness of people. "You must have loved him very much," Yuriko said softly. "I don't believe you killed him," she declared.

"Thanks. I still miss him, even though it's been more than a year since he died."

"Does Ken know that you were married?" Yuriko asked suddenly. Another blush stained her cheek.

Patricia shook her head. "Not really. Ken and I have only known each other for a few months. Why?"

"Are you two, well–" Yuriko's throat suddenly seemed very tight, preventing her from finishing her question.

Eyes wide, Patricia vigorously shook her head. "Dating? Ken and I? No! We're just friends and co-workers, nothing more." Her gold-green eyes suddenly softened. "Do you love him?" She saw the hesitation in Yuriko's eyes. "You don't have to answer if you don't want to."

The younger girl looked away. She took a deep breath. "I love him, and I know he loves me too, despite what he said to me." She gave an exasperated laugh. "Why do men do that? When a woman gets too close to them, they bolt like a frightened wild mustang."

"That's the nature of men, I guess," Patricia conceded with a laugh. "It's up to us women to chase them and tame them." She turned serious once again. "I had a hard time chasing Martin, too. He had been such a playboy." 

"I'm not going to give up on Ken," Yoriko said with sudden determination. "I've had enough of his foolishness. I'll make him realize that I'll love him no matter what he was, are and will be."

"Good." Patricia nodded approvingly. "You go, girl!"

*******

"What do we know about Yukino?" Ken asked Omi who was busy looking at the blueprint of the warehouse Manx gave them. He was very talkative now, wanting to distract his mind from all horrible thoughts.

Omi glanced up. He had done a thorough research on Shin Yukino, making sure he really was the target. It turned out that Yukino was expelled from the medical society a while ago after being caught doing 'unsavory' experiments on his women patients. When Omi compared Yukino's list of patient with the list of victims, it turned out that all victims had been his former patients. Yuriko was in the list, though Omi didn't see Patricia's name in them. "It was he who ordered Hagiri to blow up those places. Turns out those places had hidden genetics labs. Yukino had them blown up to destroy the evidence."

"And when Hagiri began to act abnormally, Yukino decided that Hagiri was too much a liability so Yukino had Hagiri killed," Youji pointed out.

"I wonder what's he looking for," Omi mused. Then he shuddered. "I hope we get there in time."

"We will, Omi," Youji vowed in a deep voice. "We have to."

*******

It was a moonless night. Dark clouds covered the sky, hiding the stars. It was a good night for a mission; the darkness would provide a cover for the members of Weiβ Kreuz as they penetrated the warehouse where the kidnapped girls–Patricia and Yuriko included–were kept.

Aya crouched low behind the tall grass. Beside him, Omi was busy fixing the explosives that would be used to distract the other guards. Ken and Youji were at the other side of the warehouse doing the same.

Their plan was simple. Distract the guards, get inside, follow Patricia's signal, and get the girls out then kill the target. The how, when and whatnots of the mission can be summed up in one word: vague.

Aya scanned the area. There were a number of guards discreetly patrolling the area. He turned to Omi, who nodded. The show was about to begin.

The explosions worked as they had planned. The guards were running in all directions, hardly noticing them as they entered. They stealthily made their way inside the warehouse, finishing off whomever security they encountered. Omi filched a security card from one of the guards.

"Where are they?" Ken demanded anxiously as they made their way inside. A man appeared with a sub-machine gun in his hand. Ken quickly drove his bugnuks deep into the man's chest, felling the man. A shower of blood sprayed on Ken's clothes as he pulled out his claws.

"Calm down, Siberian," Youji advised, noting Ken's agitation. Ken nodded, though he wasn't completely paying attention to what Youji had said. Another man with a gun showed up. Youji then coolly strangled him.

"They should be around this corner." When Omi turned, he found himself staring at a steel door. Grunting, he slipped the card that opened the door. With a hissing sound, the door opened.

"Ken?" an astonished voice said softly. Yuriko stood up, her eyes wide. She stared at Ken, taking in the splatter of blood on his clothes and the blood dripping from his bugnuks. Ken's chocolate brown eyes looked back, a bleak look in them. There was brief moment of stunned silence.

Aya quickly scanned the room. He felt his heart pound like crazy when he noticed Patricia wasn't there. "Where's Patricia?" he asked tersely. Then he mentally cursed himself when he realized that he let his true feelings about the situation slip out. Fortunately, none of the others seemed to notice his slip.

Wrenching her gaze from Ken, Yuriko turned to the handsome redhead. _I wonder what Patricia is to him. He sounded worried a while back._ "They took her a few minutes ago." She briefly studied the group, noting their clothes and weapons. They were obviously not members of the police force or the military, for that matter. "Patricia's one of you, isn't she?" she asked.

Aya ignored the question. "Do you know where they took her?" he pressed.

She shook her head. "No, but I heard them say something about an underground bunker in the west wing."

"Then we go there." Aya turned to the others. "Let's go."

"Matte!" Yuriko said, catching Ken's sleeves. Ken turned to her. "I have to go," he said flatly.

"I want to talk to you," she insisted, clutching Ken's sleeves tighter. Ken looked back at his friends. They were already on their way. Ken turned back to Yoriko. 

"What's there to talk about?" Ken shouted, all the tension inside him bursting out. He looked down at himself. "Look at me, Yuriko. I'm covered with blood." He thrust out his hands in front of Yuriko. "My hands are tainted with blood. I kill people for a living! I'm an assassin. Don't you understand? _I don't deserve you!_"

Yuriko's own temper exploded as well. "That's for me to decide, Ken, and as I remember, I haven't made that decision yet!" she snapped back. She shook her head. "Don't you understand, Ken? _I love you_. When I say you, I mean _you_. I love you for what you are, were, and will be. If you happen to be an assassin, fine! I can live with that as long as I have you." Her shoulders slumped and her voice fell to a hoarse whisper. "Why couldn't you understand that?"

There was a moment of silence between them. Finally, Ken wrapped his arms around Yuriko and pulled her close. He could feel her body tremble as she sobbed. He buried his face in her hair. "I'm sorry I hurt you. I thought you wouldn't understand." He felt the heavy load that he had been carrying these past days lighten. Holding Yuriko close felt so right. It was like coming home.

"I don't really understand all that much, but accepting is more important than understanding, ne?"

"Hai," Ken murmured. He bent to kiss her briefly. "I have to go," he told her. "Wait for me here. Don't go anywhere." He gently pulled away from her.

"Naturally," she replied with a laugh. Her beautiful eyes were shinning with happiness. "I'm not letting you go." She turned serious. "Be careful, Ken." 

Ken nodded. "I will." Then he was off, leaving Yuriko staring at his retreating back. She smiled to herself then she swung around, conscious of another presence in the room. She saw a flash of light before feeling a sudden stabbing pain in the chest.

*******

"I have waited a long time for you, my dear," a man in a blood-splattered lab coat said as he rose from his chair when Patricia entered the room. _So, he's Shin Yukino. Why does his name sound familiar?_

"Really? I haven't," she replied haughtily. She glared at the two bodyguards holding her, struggling against their hold. She looked around the room. She'd been to labs before, but the smell in the room was different. It had the smell of death and misery. Various medical instruments filled the room, most of them for surgery. 

The man laughed. "Spirited, I see." He gestured to the two men to allow her to seat her on a nearby chair. She was pushed into the chair. The man then waved the two men. He brazenly assessed Patricia, a malicious smile on his face. "Very beautiful as well. Tell me, do you know who I am?"

"No," Patricia lied. "Should I?" She was also busy assessing the man in front of her. He looked and smelled like he hadn't taken a bath or changed clothes for a very long time. His graying hair was wildly curly, sticking out in all directions. It was his eyes that unsettled Patricia the most. His black eyes burned with madness and evil.

"No? Then I'll tell you. I am the great genetic scientist, Shin Yukino," he said proudly.

Patricia was expressionless. "I haven't heard of you," she replied in an indifferent voice.

He cocked an eyebrow at her. "Indeed? Nevertheless, I've heard about you, my dear Sleeping Beauty. You should know me."

_Sleeping Beauty?_ she thought with a frown. _What was that all about?_ "Why should I know you?"

"Because I was your mother's ob-gyn. It was my hands that were the first to touch you when you came into this world." He smirked at her. "Tell me, Marithé Patricia Angélique Takatori-Deschanel, how is your mother, Marithé Josephine Antoinette Sté. Claire-Harris? Is she and her husband still digging for archeological treasures?"

Patricia paled slightly. Not many people know her full name. "What do you want?" she asked bluntly.

Yukino's eyes glittered as he replied, "You, Sleeping Beauty. I wanted you for a long, long time, even before you were born. I have been searching for someone like you for years." He suddenly moved in front of her and cupped her chin. "Sleeping Beauty, you are mine."

She jerked her chin away from his grasp. "I don't belong to you. I belong only to myself and God." She suddenly stood up, startling the taller old man. She was about to bolt away when she found herself staring at the end of a gun. Her body froze, but her mind began to think of a plan to get away.

"Not so fast, mademoiselle." Sneering, Yukino made her sink back into the chair. "Do you think I will let you go, now? You should have been mine, long ago, but you were protected like a treasure that you undoubtedly are. When you married that bastard Deschanel, I knew I had to do something. Deschanel had the power to take you away from me. So I took steps." 

Patricia was stunned. "My God, it was you! You were the one that replaced the tires that–" she broke off abruptly. "Why?" she demanded angrily. Her rage at the discovery of Yukino's evil act overpowered her restraints. She started up, but the gun prevented her from making any sudden moves. Eyes wary, she stared at Yukino.

"I want you, and I will destroy anyone who tries to take you away from me!" he shrieked. Flecks of foam spewed out of his mouth as he continued to speak, madness in his eyes. "You are mine, Sleeping Beauty! I have waited long enough for you. You are the key that unlocks the door into a wondrous world. You are Sleeping Beauty and I am the prince that will awaken you!" In the course of his ranting, his right hand–the hand that held the gun– wavered away from Patricia.

That was what Patricia had been waiting for. She leapt out of the chair, making a mad grab for the gun. Yukino recovered quickly enough to fire a shot, grazing the left side of Patricia's head. Ignoring the blood spurting from her wound, she grasped Yukino's right wrist and began to wrestle the gun away from him. A gunshot rang out. And another and another. Loud gurgling shrieks followed the gunshots then an ominous silence 

The members of Weiβ Kreuz, who were just about to enter the laboratory, heard those disturbing noises. After quickly dispatching the guards blocking their way, they kicked the door open. The sight that greeted them was one of horror.

Their target, Shin Yukino, was lying on the ground in a pool of blood. His head had been completely blown away, bone, blood, brains, and other organs strewn all over the floor. Patricia was looming over him, her hand clutching a gun tightly. There was an expression on her face that reminded them of Reiji, sending chills up their spine. Then without another word, Patricia calmly wiped the gun clear of fingerprints and laid it beside Yukino. She turned to them and smiled wearily, the smile wiping any traces of that Reiji-like expression.

"What happened to your head?" Aya demanded harshly upon seeing the blood gushing out from the side of her head. She swayed slightly and Aya quickly reached out to steady her. She fell against Aya's chest. Turning to Ken, she asked in a tired voice, "Where's Yuriko?" she wanted to know, completely disregarding her injury.

"I left her at her cell," Ken replied. He saw her jerk away from Aya, her eyes wide. "Why? What's wrong?"

"You left her alone at a time like this?" Patricia replied quietly. Ken and Patricia's eyes met. It suddenly dawned to Ken what he had just done. "No!" Ken shouted. He quickly spun around and headed towards the prison cells. The others quickly followed, with Aya and Patricia trailing behind them.

Ken ran as fast as he could. How could have he been so stupid? He left his beloved alone in the midst of fighting. _Please let her be safe, _he prayed. When he reached the prison cells, he saw his beloved lying on the floor, dead. She had been stabbed in the heart with a knife. A guard was lying beside her, a horrible grin on his face. To Ken's shock, he realized it had been the man Ken had driven his bugnuks into a few minutes before they saw Yuriko. The man must have somehow survived Ken's attack, followed Ken and saw his scene with Yuriko and decided to kill her as a way of revenge, perhaps.

"**_NOOOOOO!_**" Ken's scream of anguish and indescribable loss echoed back to his friends, telling them they were too late. They found him cradling Yuriko's limp body, his lithe body trembling, sobbing out her name over and over again. Youji muttered a curse under his breath. Omi looked away.

Unable to bear to hear Ken's anguish, Patricia buried her face against Aya's coat, startling the redhead for a moment before he awkwardly wrapped an arm around her waist. For Patricia, Ken's sobs had brought back memories of her past. Had Patricia sounded like that when she discovered Martin was dead beside her in the car? Did she sob out his name over and over again, hoping for a miracle? She didn't want to know or to remember.

"You can't die, not now. You can't! I haven't even said I love you! Don't leave me, Yuriko. _Please!_" Ken sobbed, burying his face on Yuriko's body. "It was all my fault!" There was silence in the room as they helplessly watched their friend and teammate grieve for his loved one. "NOOO!"

Much to their surprise, Patricia stepped forward and put a hand on Ken's shoulder. "Ken," she began gently in a firm voice. "You have to leave. The police would come anytime soon. You have to go. I'll take care of her."

"No," Ken replied hoarsely. He raised his tear-stained face to look at Patricia. "I'm staying with her no matter what. I will not go." His tone was fierce and his tear-filled brown eyes flashed with defiance.

Patricia observed Ken's face for a moment. Then, much to everyone's astonishment, Patricia smashed her fist onto his face. Ken fell to the floor unconscious. "What did you do that for?" Youji demanded.

"Lift him up," she ordered, ignoring Youji's question. She turned to them, her eyes glittering. "You have to leave this place. I'll stay here. I have to. I have to take care of the girls," she pointed out when she saw that they were going to object. "Take Siberian with you. Give him something to sleep. I don't want him waking up for a while."

The men looked at each other. They knew it was futile to argue with Patricia once she made up her mind. "Fine," Aya conceded. "Stay in the police station. I'll pick you up."

"Whatever you say, Abyssinian." She replied in a weary voice. She waved them away. "Now go."

*******

Aya didn't find Patricia in the police station. Instead, Aya found her sitting in the park bench, her eyes lost in thought. Her head wound had been neatly bandaged and she was wearing clean clothes. She looked tired, but she still managed to smile at him when she saw him approach her. "I'm sorry I made you look for me."

"Hn." 

"How's Ken?" she asked, a worried frown on her face. 

"Sleeping," Aya replied shortly. Without knowing why, he sat beside her. Then he abruptly stood up again. "Why didn't you watch out? Why did you let yourself get kidnapped?" he lashed out. He was mad at her; mad for making him feel things he didn't think he felt for her. Aya had been worried about her, worried that they might have been too late to rescue them–to rescue her, worried that when they arrived, they would find her dead. It was an experience that made him feel vulnerable and somewhat unsure of himself, and he didn't like that. 

__

Patricia was silent. Guilt over what happened to Yuriko and Martin had been gnawing her for a long time now. However, that did not give Aya the right to be mad at her. "I'm sorry. I know what I've said is inadequate, but it's all I can do for now. I can't change what happened, but I will do whatever I can to prevent it from happening again. That I promise," she answered calmly. She stared at Aya, looking for some kind of reaction. His face remained impassive. _God, I feel like I'm taking to a solid block of glacial ice_, Patricia thought, annoyed at Aya's indifference.

"We should be getting back," Patricia suddenly said, rising up. Without any warning, huge droplets of rain poured out of the sky, soaking them in a matter of minutes. "I don't believe this!" she exclaimed. The two began to run, finally finding shelter underneath a huge tree. She turned to Aya. "I hate it when I get caught in a sudden summer rain," she murmured sadly, suddenly remembering Yuriko. "Where's your car?" She shivered slightly.

"On the other side of the park," he answered. _K'so!_ he swore to himself. He was soaked to the skin. He peered at her face. She was suddenly as pale as a sheet, making her seem vulnerable and defenseless. The bandage on her head was a sharp reminder to Aya of her brush with death, sending chills down his spine. He felt something inside him stir as he watched her face brighten slightly as she smiled at him wryly. 

Aya froze. A smile, despite what happened today. "Patricia," he murmured.

"Yes, Fujimiya-san?"

He looked down his face hidden by his red locks. "I'm relieved that you are safe."

She gave him a puzzled look, then she smiled. "Thanks, Aya. I think that–"

Her sentence was cut off as Aya's lips covered her open mouth, taking her breath and sanity away. He pulled her closer to him, running his hands through her damp hair then grasping her shoulders, as if wanting to make sure she was really there, wanting to make sure she was alive. Aya groaned softly when Patricia responded in kind, deepening the kiss.

Their breathing was uneven when Aya abruptly pulled away. "We better go," Aya told her roughly. Patricia nodded, still a little dazed with what happened. She stiffened slightly then relaxed as Aya slipped an arm around her waist, pulling her close. He flipped his leather jacket over their heads to protect them from the sudden downpour. Then together, they braved the rain.

*******

Somewhere in Japan, in a room in a tall building in Tokyo, the phone rang. The man who occupied the flat quickly picked up the phone. "Morpheus's dead." The voice on the other line said flatly. 

"Indeed? That's splendid news," the man replied in an amused voice. "You called me to tell me that?"

"He has found it."

Silence. "I see." Then his voice turned serious. "I want a meeting arranged as quickly as possible. We will not allow this opportunity to pass."

"Yes, my lord Zeus."

*******

Ken stared at the tombstone, his eyes blurred with tears. He stood there, even though the rain was soaking him wet. He didn't care. He was beyond caring now. He was numb. When Yuriko died all the joy and care in him seemed to be dead as well. He didn't feel anything, except perhaps guilt and remorse.

He was standing in front of Yuriko's tomb, three days after her death. It was his first time to visit, as he had been 'sleeping' during the last three days_. What do you say to dead people_? Ken thought_. Does it matter? They won't hear you anyway and it won't change the past. Yuriko's dead because I failed to protect her. It was entirely my fault, _he berated himself, clenching his fists. A fresh wave of guilt washed over him.

"Ken?" Patricia said from behind him. She unfurled an umbrella, shielding him from the rain. Patricia was the one that drove him to the cemetery to show him Yuriko's grave. She had earlier deemed that Ken was rational enough to see the grave without completely going berserk.

"Why did she have to die? Didn't God know how much I loved her? Why should she be punished for my sins? Why didn't He punish me?" His voice rose higher and higher as he continued to rave. He looked up at the stormy gray sky. "Why her? You were supposed to protect the innocent! Why didn't You protect her?" 

He needed someone to blame other than himself. He could blame Yukino, but the bastard was dead–he wouldn't be affected by Ken's rage. Ken could blame Patricia, but that wouldn't be fair. She suffered too. Besides, Aya, who since the kidnapping had been constantly hovering protectively over her, wouldn't like that. Therefore, Ken decided to reproach the Higher Authority. It was odd for him to blame God. He wasn't a Christian, and he hardly knew the teachings of that religion. However, Ken was in pain, and it was human nature to lash out when in pain. _Why did You take my most important person away from me?_

"It's not fair to blame God for everything." Patricia shook her head. "I asked myself the same questions when my husband died. I don't know why our loved ones die, Ken. But what I do know is that our loved ones are in a better place than this earth and that someday, if were lucky enough, we'll see them again in that place."

"Heaven?" Ken asked quietly.

She smiled sadly. "Yeah." She looked around. "We don't always understand why death comes to those that we love the most, but I've long learned that accepting is oftentimes more important than understanding, especially in matters like this."

_"I don't really understand all that much, but accepting is more important than understanding, ne?"_ Yuriko's voice seemed to echo back from the past. It had comforted him then, and now it gave him some semblance of peace. He knelt in front of Yuriko's grave and lovingly touched her tombstone. "Thank you, my love, for loving me. I'll always love you, but for now, I have to go. Be well, Yuriko." He gently kissed the damp tombstone, then rose to his feet. He smiled sadly at Patricia, who nodded and followed him as he walked away from Yuriko's grave.

****

~T.B.C.~

Yes! Finally, Aya's making his moves. Poor Ken…(God, I am so cruel *sobs*).

I'm sorry if they get longer and longer every chapter…please bear with me…onegai…oh yeah, there's bound to some song lyrics somewhere in the following chapters… 


	11. Interlude: Old Wounds

****

Disclaimer: I don't own Weiβ, I don't make money with this fanfiction and I don't want to be sued. 

****

Interlude: Old Wounds 

__

Patricia looked at Aya oddly. "Aren't you going to eat your ice cream? I mean, you do know an ice cream is meant to be eaten, not to be stared at like you want it to boil or something?" she asked, absently licking an ice cream-covered spoon. She glared at him. "I promised the kids that I'd treat them to ice cream after practice. Do you mind?" Her tone made her question sound more like a challenge than a query.

Aya stared at the cherry-topped chocolate sundae in front of him, then to Patricia. "No, I don't," he replied shortly, digging his spoon into the ice cream and spooning a mouthful into his mouth. He glanced out the window, violet eyes lost in thought. It had been three weeks since the kiss. They haven't really talked about it, even though they had to. Aya was going to bring the subject up today, but couldn't, thanks to baseball.

"Who is he, sensei?" one of the neighborhood kids that Patricia coaches had asked when Patricia showed up with Aya in their baseball practice. The child squinted his eyes suspiciously at Aya. "Is he your koibito?" 

Aya managed not to choke. Patricia only laughed. She shot Aya an annoyed look. Aya had decided to come with her all of the sudden. "No, Megumi. This man is my friend, who just happens to be following me around. He came here to watch us." She shook her head, fondly ruffling the boy's hair. "Wherever did you get that idea?" 

The boy continued looking strangely at Aya. "Nowhere, sensei." He took Patricia's hand. "Now, let's play." 

Now, Aya was with Patricia and her team, celebrating their victory with ice cream. He glanced at his ice cream. He had finished it all up, except for the cherry. "The cherry's yours," he muttered, shoving the cup to her.

She gave him a curious look. Aya never offered anything to her. "Thanks." She gently picked the cherry up, and popped it into her mouth. "So, did we find out anything new about Yukino and whoever his cohorts are?" she wanted to know, her voice taking a serious tone.

Aya shook his head. "Nothing at all." He was puzzled when he saw the worried frown on Patricia's face. She had been wearing that expression these past weeks. "What's wrong?" he asked her.

Another smile. This one, though, didn't quite reach her eyes. "Nothing. Just a little worried, that's all. Yukino couldn't have been working alone. There must be somebody backing him up." Her fingers curled tightly around the spoon she was holding. "But we have no idea who."

She sounded so frustrated over that fact. Aya stared at her. Her face was pale and her eyes downcast and glittering with…tears? Without knowing why, Aya reached out, and tilted her head up. Her gold-green eyes widened when his hands brushed the tears off her eyes. "Aya?"

"Gotcha!" 

The two jumped apart at the sound. Patricia turned to glare at the owner of the voice, muttering an unfeminine oath under her breath. "What are you doing here, Kudou?" Patricia asked, sounding pissed.

Youji Kudou grinned wickedly at her. He was as cool-looking as ever with his tight moss green shirt and with equally tight black pants. He looked pointedly at the cherry stem on Aya's cup. "Yo, Ayan! I didn't think you like ice cream too. Did you give her the cherry? Do you know that if you give the cherry topping the ice cream to a girl for her to eat, that means you love her?" Youji teased.

The raven-haired Takatori rolled her eyes. "That, if I may say so, is utter nonsense, Youji. You can't tell if a guy's in love with you or not by a cherry," she said in a matter-of-fact tone of voice. "What are you doing here?"

"Oh, just passed by to buy some ice cream," was Youji's nonchalant reply.

Patricia glanced behind him, eyebrows raised. "And that girl?" she asked, pointing to a young blonde-haired woman getting out of Youji's classic racecar-style Super 7. Patricia didn't need to be clairvoyant to know who the girl was. "She's buying ice cream too?"

"I think so," Youji replied flippantly, winking at her. He turned to Aya, the wicked grin still on his face. Youji saw the frown on Aya's face. "What's your problem?"

Aya gave him a baleful look. "The problem with you, Kudou, is that you say one thing and do the other." He rose from his seat. Facing Patricia, he said shortly, "I'm going to get some more ice cream." Before Patricia could say anything, Aya left.

Patricia sweatdropped. She didn't understand what just went between the two. "What was that all about? Am I missing something here?" she asked a suddenly silent Youji. Youji just smiled, but it was not a nice smile.

*******

"Where the heck is Kudou?" Ken demanded, looking around the flower shop. "It's his shift today."

Omi shook his head in disgust. "Where else, but dating another girl." He put the bucketful of pale pink lilies on the shelves with a loud thump. "He's so stupid," he muttered out loud.

Ken glanced at Omi sharply. The teenager looked very irritated, as if he wanted to pound the bucket on Youji's blonde head. Usually, Omi took Youji's irresponsible habits in stride, even making excuses for the playboy blonde but now…"What's Youji done to get you all worked up, Omi?" 

"Nothing," Omi grumbled. He had been irritated with Youji since this morning. Omi had woken up by a loud noise from outside. Opening his door, Omi saw a dark brown-haired woman looking angrily at a stone-faced Youji, spewing out obscenities. Shocked that such words could come out of a pretty mouth, Omi stood frozen, watching the scene while still clad in his striped green pajamas.

As if sensing Omi's presence, the woman swung around to face him. "You! What do you think you're doing?" Before Omi could react, the woman came lunging towards him, her hands curled like claws descending on Omi. "Men!" she said in a high-pitched voice. "You love to watch women crawl to you, don't you? To see them beg for affection…you're all the same! Bastards!"

"Don't touch him, Haruka," Youji warned in a quiet but deadly voice, catching the woman's wrists in a vise-like grip before her hands descended on Omi. "He isn't part of this. Leave him alone. If you so much touch one strand of his hair, I'll show you just how much of a bastard I can be."

She wrenched her hands away from Youji. "You'll regret this," she hissed, eyes flashing dangerously. Casting the two of them a look of hatred, she left.

The two watched her for a moment. Then Youji turned to Omi, checking Omi's arms. "Did she hurt you?"

Omi shook his head. "Iie." 

Youji smiled. "Good." Then he headed back to his apartment before Omi could say anything else.

Then, a few hours after the girl left, Youji had another girl with him. _Baka!_ Omi thought savagely. Whatever Youji got from the crazy girl, he deserved it. Youji was such a playboy. Omi wondered what would happen when Youji's playboy attitude caught up with. It was sure to be a sight to see.

*******

"I can't believe I let you talk me into this," Ken muttered to Youji under his breath. Ken wanted to kick himself. He let Youji Kudou to convince him to come with him to his favorite nightclub. _I'm gonna regret this._

Youji pushed up his sunglasses and grinned devilishly at Ken. "Come on, Ken-ken! You need to go around and date every now and then. It'll help you to get over Yuriko."

"Oh? Is that why you date so many girls, Yotan? To forget Asuka?" Ken shot back, then immediately regretted his words. Youji was very touchy about Asuka or Neu, whatever her real name is.

To Ken's surprise, instead of a glare, Ken received a small smile from Youji. "I've been dating so many girls even before I met Asuka, but yes, that's what I did," Youji replied evenly.

_What the hell is going on here? _Ken thought, bewildered by Youji's unexpected answer. _He might say stuff like that to Omi, since Omi's Youji's sort of confidante but not to me_. "You shouldn't be such a playboy, Youji. It might be hazardous for your health. Last week, two men were murdered. Both of them were playboys."

Youji merely laughed. The two of them sat beside the bar. Youji ordered a couple of drinks. "You should really go out and enjoy life more, Ken. You know life isn't going to wait for you."

"Why so philosophical, Youji? You sound like someone going through mid-life crisis or something."

Youji smiled. Ken had no clue what was happening to Youji. The soccer player had no idea that Youji was in love with Omi and this sudden philosophical mood was brought on by that fact.

Aya's words echoed back to him. _I won't have you jumping into his life, hurting and confusing him more._ Would Youji be confusing and hurting Omi if Youji were to reveal his feelings for him? 

"Hello, Youji. I didn't expect you to be here," a familiar voice said from behind him.

"Are you following me, Haruka?" Youji asked, not turning to face the woman who nearly attacked Omi. It had taken all of Youji's control not to beat the crap out of Haruka when she had lunged at Omi. When Youji met her in this same bar, she seemed like a gentle, docile woman. Haruka had long dark brown hair and large doe brown eyes that made her look younger than her twenty-two years. They had a few drinks and dates, then slept together a couple of times. When Youji decided to break off things with her because he had to date other girls, she became angry. They had been fighting about that when Omi appeared.

She frowned. "Don't flatter yourself, Kudou." She looked at him. "Look, I'm sorry if things got out of hand this morning. I've been going through a difficult time lately and well…" her voice trailed off, and she lowered her head. "Tell the kid I apologize for taking out my anger on him."

"It's OK," Youji replied nonchalantly. He wanted peace between him and Haruka too. He couldn't really blame the girl for being angry with him. After all, Youji's treatment of her wasn't exactly one would call gentlemanly. "Would you like a drink?" Youji offered.

She shook her head. "No, Youji." She raised her own glass, a half-smile on her lips. "As you know, I buy my own drinks. I never let guys buy drinks for me. You never know what they'd put in them."

*******

It was deep into the night. Ken scanned the crowd, trying to figure out were the hell Youji Kudou was. Youji was sitting him a while ago, but he suddenly disappeared. Youji was nowhere in sight. _He takes me here, and then he leaves me. When I see him, I'm going to kill him_, Ken thought. He went over to a crowd of girls were Youji had been sitting a few hours ago. He approached them hesitantly–Ken had never claimed to have Youji's flair for talking to girls. "Anou, did any of you see where a tall blonde-haired man with black shades gone to?" he asked a girl with dyed cherry-red hair. 

She shook her head then replied with a giggle, "No, but right now I see a very cute brunette in front of me. Want to get it on?" She gave him a sultry, suggestive look. The girl beside her giggled as well. 

Ken backed away, suddenly feeling nervous. "Ah–never mind." _Damnit! Where are you, Kudou?_

*******

Patricia Deschanel laid the dozen white tulips gently on the grave. It had been her habit to visit the grave of her father every Sunday. As she closed her eyes to pray, memories and voices came rushing back to her.

_"No! Papa, behind you!"_

"I'm sorry, but we couldn't do anything to save him."

"Maman, why is Papa still sleeping? Doesn't he want to wake up? Maman, why are you crying?"

She drowned out the last voice. It was the most painful memory of all. The voice had been hers, when she was ten years old. She had been asking her mother why her father was lying on a big box, and wouldn't wake up. Deep inside, Patricia had known that her father was dead–after all, she saw it all happen. 

Patricia rose quickly. She opened her eyes, trying to stop the memories from overwhelming her, trying to stop the tears from falling down her cheeks. _I will not cry. I promised him I wouldn't._

Feeling her chest tighten and tears falling down her cheeks, Patricia started away, clutching a tulip in her hand. She was a few feet away from the exit when she suddenly bumped into someone. "Gomenasai," she muttered, not bothering to look up. She proceeded to walk away when a hand clamped on her wrist, forcing her to turn around. She lifted her head, ready to give whoever the person was a vicious telling-off. When she saw the person, she took a step back. "Fujimiya? What are you doing here?" she asked, suddenly confused. 

Aya Fujimiya gave her an odd look, his sharp violet eyes missing nothing. Patricia had an odd look on her face. Her eyes were red and tear tracks ran down her cheeks. She seemed very determined to get away from his presence. His grip on her wrist tightened. "What happened?" 

"Nothing," she replied evenly. "I just came from visiting my father's grave." She took a deep, calming breath. "Can you please let go of my wrist?" she asked calmly.

He ignored her request. "No, not until you answer my question." 

"It's none of your business." She tried to wrench away from his grasp, but she couldn't. "What do you care, Aya? I'm nothing to you. I'm just the sister of the man who killed your parents whom you occasionally ask out for a date on only the gods know what reasons," she said bitterly. Silence followed her words. She looked away, slightly embarrassed by her outburst. "Let go, Aya," she added softly, not quite sure what she meant by those words.

"I already have," Aya replied cryptically. He let go of her wrist but kept his eyes on her. He hadn't expected seeing her today and here, of all places. He had just come from visiting his parents' graves. He didn't know Patricia's father was buried here as well. It was such an odd coincidence. 

"Did you visit your parents' graves?" Patricia suddenly asked. Aya gave her a sharp, inquiring look. He had told no one where the graves of his parents were. How did Patricia know? Seeing the look on his face, Patricia smiled. "So I guessed right." 

Aya didn't answer. He abruptly moved away from her, then saw a single white tulip lying on the ground. He picked it up then handed it to Patricia. Patricia took it, gazing at it reverently. "Tulips are my favorite flowers," she said suddenly, startling Aya, She smiled at Aya once again, a sad smile that seemed to tug his heart. He mentally kicked himself. "I should go, Aya. It's my shift in the flower shop. My car's undergoing maintenance so I'll have to wait for a taxi. See you later, Aya." She turned her back to him and started to walk away before Aya could say anything else.

She had been walking for a few meters when a white Porsche pulled up beside her. The front seat's window rolled down. "Get in," Aya ordered crisply, opening the door.

Patricia stared at the car, at the open door, then at Aya. Their eyes met. She nodded, then got into the car.

********

Patricia and Aya returned to their apartments to find Omi at Patricia's doorstep along with Ken. They seemed to be very worried. When they saw the two of Patricia and Aya, they perked up. "Good, you two are here! Where have you guys been? We've been looking for you!" Ken said, relief evident in his voice.

"What for? Is there another mission?" Patricia wanted to know.

Omi shook his head. "Iie. It's not that. Youji hasn't come home yet. We're getting worried." 

"Youji can take care of himself. There's no use worrying about him," Aya said dryly.

"That's what you said when Patti-san went missing. And she turned out to be kidnapped," Omi pointed out. "We didn't expect her to be in that predicament, and it turned out she was. What if it's the same with Youji-kun?" 

Patricia gave a sudden burst of laughter. Shaking her head, she smiled at her nephew. "For someone with a cute face, you tend to say the most uncomfortable things." Omi pinked. She turned to Aya, who remained impassive, then back to Ken. "When and where did you last see Youji?" she asked, voice turning serious.

Ken told her. "I tried to ask around, but nobody seemed to have noticed Youji. When we checked the apartment's garage, his car wasn't there. It was still in the parking lot of the club. Youji would never leave his car."

Patricia twirled a lock of hair. "That is unusual," she conceded. She knew how Youji loved his car, treating it as his 'baby'. "Do we have any reason to suspect someone has abducted or harmed Youji?"

Omi fidgeted his thumb. "Well, this morning, there was a woman who was arguing with Youji. She was really angry. She, uh, sort of attacked me." Omi winced inwardly when Patricia's eyes flashed. He continued hastily, "But Youji stopped her before she could hurt me. She said that Youji will pay for…whatever Youji has done to her."

"Kudou probably gets a lot of those," Patricia remarked. She turned to Aya. "What do you think?" 

Aya looked at her, then at Omi. His blue eyes were wide with worry. Cursing himself for being unable to refuse Omi, he replied, "We look for him."

*******

As is it turned out, their assessment was not far off the mark. Youji was now tightly tied onto something he couldn't figure out. He eyed his captor warily. She paced the dark room back and forth.

"You should have listened to my advice. Never accept drinks from strangers. You never know what's in them." Haruka told him, smiling, white teeth flashing in the darkness. Another silvery light flashed. A butcher's knife.

"I didn't think you hated me this much, Haruka, to kill me," Youji remarked dryly.

She laughed throatily. "I've had enough of men like you, men who like to play with a girl's feelings. It's about time someone put a stop to men like you." The smile on her face turned to a vicious smirk. 

"And you've appointed yourself as their avenging angel," Youji said grimly. "How nice of you to do so."

Another burst of laughter escaped her lips. "Had, actually. You're not the first."

Youji remembered what Ken had told him. Was Haruka the one who killed those men? _Damnit!_

*******

"I give up!" Ken shouted, throwing his hands up in the air. "We've been searching for hours, but we still have no goddamned idea where Youji is! This is very frustrating!" He looked around the club. "K'so!"

"Such language, Ken-ken," Patricia remarked in an amused voice. Ken whirled around to face her. "Did you get anything from the sketch you made out of Omi's description of the girl Youji dated?" he asked. It was getting dark, and they could not afford to waste any time. If Youji was truly in trouble, they might be too late when they found him. Ken closed his eyes, willing the memory of Yuriko's death away.

"We have a lead," Patricia told Ken. "The girl Omi described is Haruka Mendelsson. We have her address. The suspicious thing about her is that she seems to have dated two men who was found murdered this week." Her eyes met Ken's. "The van's outside," Patricia told him. "Let's move it."

*******

There was a whirring sound, then another lash touched his body. He bit his lip hard, refusing to give her the pleasure of hearing him scream out in pain. "I didn't know you were the sado-masochistic type," Youji remarked, his voice hoarse. Another lash hit him on his chest. He smiled despite the pain. "Kinky tastes, if I might say."

"Shut up!" she shouted. Youji's clothes were in tatters now, torn by her spiked whip. She lashed at him again, shrieking words Youji couldn't understand. This time, the pain proved too much, and he passed out.

That was when the other members of Weiβ Kreuz stormed into the room, breaking down the huge door. The group gaped at the scene frozen before them. Youji was tied spread-eagled to the wall, blood oozing from his wounds. There were lash marks all over his body. Haruka stood in front of him, holding the whip on one hand and the knife on the other. She stared at them with a look of madness in her eyes. 

Omi felt a chill run up his spine. Youji's head was slumped. Have they come too late? "What have you done to Youji-kun?" Omi demanded angrily, startling them all with his angry outburst.

Haruka turned to him. "You're that brat from yesterday, the one who was eavesdropping on our conversation." Her gaze shifted to the three standing behind Omi. "And who are you?"

"The Scooby-doo gang. We came to get Scooby-doo," Patricia said in a deadpan voice.

"I am not Scooby-doo!" Youji snapped, suddenly lifting his head.

"Fine, then you're Fred."

"Would you just get me out of here?"

"Glad to see you alive, Youji," Ken greeted in a calm voice. All of the other members of Weiβ Kreuz took a relieved breath. Youji was still alive. They hadn't arrived too late.

"This is a private property. Trespassing is a crime," Haruka told them, gripping her 'tools' tightly.

"So is kidnapping. Hand him over now, unless you want to get hurt," Aya said in his quiet but deadly voice.

Haruka lifted her butcher's knife. "I don't think I'll be the one to get hurt. Are you his girlfriend?" Haruka suddenly asked Patricia.

"Certainly not!" Patricia burst out, flabbergasted. "I have better taste than that!"

"Oi! What do you mean by that?!?"

Haruka narrowed her eyes. There was something vaguely familiar about the girl. Patricia met Haruka's gaze squarely, her gold-green eyes showing no fear.

_That gaze…where have I seen that gaze before?_ Haruka wondered. She shrugged it off.

"Oi, are you guys just going to stand there? I thought you were here to rescue me?" Youji complained.

"We'll get to that in awhile, Youji," Ken assured him.

"Silence!" Haruka shouted, irritated by the five's talk. "I won't give him back to you. He's such a bastard! Why do you want to rescue him?"

"Are you the one who killed those two other men?" Patricia suddenly asked. Her eyes were narrowed, and there was a curious look in her face. When she saw Haruka nod, she asked, "Why did you do that?"

Haruka shrugged. "Nothing. I was just bored. I didn't have anything to do," she replied in a casual voice.

"Really? Or is murder a Mendelian family trait? Your brother was a hired assassin, wasn't he?" Patricia asked. The guys turned to her. They had no idea what was going on or what was Patricia saying.

Patricia stared at the girl, suddenly remembering. She felt dizzy and for a moment, she was back in the past. Six men, all of them wanting to kill her, surrounded her; all of them responsible for the murder of her loved ones. Then there was blackness, then suddenly, she was surrounded by six dead men, her clothes and hands smeared with blood. Shaking her head, she turned back to the present.

Haruka's beautiful face contorted with anger. "Yes, and he was a bastard, like his friends. He used to rape me, over and over again–he and his men. He was a bastard and yet, girls still like him, go to him willingly–because he was so charming! I hate men–all of them! Especially playboys like Youji Kudou!" she was shouting in a shrill voice. Tears ran down from her eyes. 

"Hello? Does anyone still remember me?" Youji called hoarsely. "I'm bleeding to death here! Can you two finish your girl talk later?" The two girls glared at him. 

"Gomenasai, Youji-kun," Omi apologized. "Will you give Youji-kun to us now?" Omi asked in a polite voice. Youji groaned in frustration.

"I will–when he's dead," Haruka retorted with a malevolent smirk.

Aya then unsheathed his katana. "Unfortunately, we need him alive, so we can't let you do that. He may be a bastard, but he's our bastard," Aya told her, his voice laced with steel.

"Unfortunately?" Youji protested. "You wound me, Ayan. Am I that unimportant to you?"

Haruka swung the knife. Then there was a sudden whistling sound, followed by a shriek of pain. The knife fell down, impaling itself on the wooden floor just a few inches from Youji's foot. "I'm sorry, miss, but I'm afraid I can't let you do that," Omi said in a flat voice, lowering his crossbow. The arrow had shot through Haruka's hand, pinning it on the wall. Haruka stared at Omi in astonishment, then at her impaled hand.

Weiβ Kreuz then sprang into action. Aya leapt at Haruka as soon as she pulled her hand free from the arrow. She struggled against his hold, struggling and sobbing insanely. Aya had a hard time restraining her, and only succeeded when he grimly slammed his fist on her stomach. She then lay very still. 

"You all right, Youji-kun?" Omi asked as he began to free Youji from his bonds. As soon as he was free, Youji's knees buckled and he fell against Omi, resting his head on the teenager's shoulder. "You sure took your time getting me out of here," he rasped, feeling very relieved and safe. Then, exhausted and still in pain, he slipped into the comfortable darkness.

*******

"Itai! Hidoi de yo, Patricia! If you're mad at me, tell me! Don't torture me like this!" Youji exclaimed as Patricia nearly poured out the entire antiseptic in the bottle onto his wounded skin.

"Stop whining like a girl, Yotan," Patricia said heartlessly, enjoying her revenge. On their way to Haruka's house, they had to climb down a cliff. Unknown to many, Patricia was afraid of heights. It had been sheer hell climbing down that wall. She nearly slipped several times and would have surely plunged to her death if it were not for Aya's assistance. She vowed that she would make Youji pay for making her go through that.

They were now in Youji's apartment, where Patricia was busy treating Youji's wound, which was considerably extensive after what Haruka did to him. 

"What's going to happen to Haruka?" Youji suddenly asked. He had been unconscious the whole way to his apartment. He didn't know what happened to Haruka, other than the fact that she seemed to be alive. 

Patricia didn't look up when she answered, "Manx is sending Ms. Mendel to a high security psychiatric institution." She grabbed some bandages. "She's a victim of human brutality. She needs help, not death. Aya and the others are taking care of her," she explained. 

"Sou desu ka," Youji mumbled, then he yelped in pain as Patricia tightened the bandages. "Next time, pick your dates more carefully," Patricia advised, ignoring his cries. 

"How should I know Haruka was like that? It never happened to me before."

"Then what about Neu?" Patricia retorted sharply, then she mentally kicked herself for being tactless.

Youji suddenly grabbed her wrist. "How did you know about that? Did Masafumi tell you about her?" he demanded. He suddenly became aware of the fact that Patricia was Masafumi's aunt–Masafumi Takatori, the one who might have brainwashed Asuka into Neu. Masafumi, the man Neu loved and sacrificed her life for.

Patricia shrugged, wrenching her hand away. "No, Masafumi never said a thing. We rarely talk." She frowned when he gave her a suspicious look. "I found out from Manx, OK? So don't give me that look."

There was a stillness in the room. "Anou, Patricia?"

"What, Youji?" she asked wearily. She was bone tired. On top of that, she saw that woman.

"How did you, uh, know Haruka's brother was a murderer?"

The others, who had left to buy some medical supplies and to arrange Haruka's departure, was just coming in when they heard Youji's question. They froze on the spot, waiting for her answer.

"Her brother, Michael Mendel, was the man who murdered my father under Reiji's orders when I was ten. He was also one of the men who assassinated my grandparents when I was twelve. He is also the reason why Himalayan exists," Patricia replied calmly. "I killed him and his men when I was fourteen." She gave a shocked Youji a small smile. "On our first mission together, you asked me why I joined Kritiker. Those murders are two of my many reasons why I joined Kritiker. When they died, no one could bring their deaths to justice. I didn't want that to happen to anyone again. I just couldn't."

"Do you hate Reiji, for what he did?" Youji gently asked.

"It hurts to know that someone of your own blood could do horrible things to others. He had _our_ father and my grandparents killed for petty things. I loathed Reiji more than I loathed anyone else. Part of my hatred comes from the fact that I saw all of them die in front of my eyes. I've learned to live with it, though sometimes, it hurts so much that I just want to die. It's never a pleasant memory but I feel that as long as I can smile and live my life my way, everything will be all right. We have only one life to live, Youji. Let's try to live it to the fullest, no regrets." She laughed dryly. "I'm sorry if I'm boring you with my life's story. It has no relevance on what happened today."

"So, is your dating Aya your way of living your life to the fullest?" Youji suddenly said. On the other room, Aya leapt up, feeling a sudden desire to strangle Youji.

She let out a loud laugh. "Why did Fujimiya enter this conversation? You shouldn't say stuff like that, ne, Aya? You can come in now." The three behind the door started. So, she knew that they were there.

"I was just teasing her!" Youji said, raising both palms up in a defensive gesture as Aya and the rest entered the room. Aya ignored him and instead, looked at Patricia. She looked back at him calmly. 

"How are you, Youji-kun?" Omi asked in a worried voice, placing a hand on Youji's shoulder.

"I'm OK, Omittchi, thanks to your aunt's healing hands and expertise," he replied somewhat sarcastically He tried to stand up, but was forced back to the bed by the excruciating pain he felt.

"Baka," Aya and Patricia said at the same time. "Lie down," Patricia ordered. She turned to her Omi. "Can you take care of him tonight?" Omi nodded. Patricia continued, "He needs someone to look after him and I can't. I have less than twelve hours to pack and go to the airport for my flight."

"Eh? Flight? Where?" Ken asked, confused.

She raised her eyebrows. "Haven't I told you? I'm going to London tomorrow and will stay there for an indefinite period of time."

"No, you've neglected to tell us," Aya said coldly, eyes narrowed.

She shrugged carelessly. "Well, now you know. Bye, gentlemen. I'm going home." She gave them a tired smile, and was about to leave when Omi asked, "Are you coming back?"

She glanced over her shoulder. "That depends," she replied cautiously.

"Depends on what?"

"If I'm wanted back." Then she left, leaving them staring after her,

*******

Patricia almost stumbled back to her apartment. She felt as if something was going to burst. "Why did I say all that stuff to Youji? What was I thinking?" She smiled wryly. _It must be because of the memories coming back to haunt me. They never rest, because I never forget, even after all these years._ Tears stung her eyes. Then she whirled around, sensing another presence in the room. To her astonishment, Aya stood behind her.

She was speechless. He took a step towards Patricia. "We need to talk."

"About what?" she asked, even though she knew what he was pertaining to. She suddenly felt sick. She had thought they were past that. That it had been settled. That it was all over. Now he was here again, opening old wounds. Damn it, why did he have to do that now? When she was feeling so vulnerable?

"About what happened…that night, when Yuriko Asou died," Aya told her in his disquieting voice.

She gave him a puzzled look. "Hadn't we decided that it was all a big mistake? That what happened between us was just an 'emotional turmoil" thing? That we should maintain our relationship thoroughly professional? After all, you can't involve yourself with me. I am, as you have pointed out so casually that night, a Takatori, and we all know all Takatoris are bastards and bitches," she reminded him in a bitter voice. She remembered that night. They had shared one kiss and when they were in the apartments, Aya suddenly told her that the kiss had meant nothing and all that depressing, derogatory stuff. Patricia had mostly kept her feelings about that discussion to herself. Now, she was lashing out, perhaps because she had reached her limit.

Aya gritted his teeth. If there was anything he hated about Patricia, it was her tendency to use his own words against him. He studied the girl in front of him with hooded eyes. This girl…she exasperated and irritated him in a way no one ever had with a single word, and yet, at the same time, she made him feel vulnerable and protective of her with a single smile. His gaze drifted to her clenched fists. Her hands were able to coach kids with gentleness and firmness, then later; those same hands would kill people with total cold-bloodedness. She was a paradox–someone he couldn't figure out, a mystery. 

"Are you through?" She knew she shouldn't be shouting at him, but she was just so hurt and confused that she just wanted to lash out. "Why did you have to bring that up? It was best forgotten, damnit! I don't enjoy having my feelings being toyed about. What do you want? Is this your way to have your revenge against Taka–" She saw the glint in his eyes and knew that she went to far. She moved away from him, but Aya caught her wrist and pinioned her firmly against the wall. 

"Urusai," Aya said in soft, dangerous tones. _What do I want?_ Aya asked himself. He stared at her. He raised his hand, making Patricia cringe with fear. Instead, he placed it against the wall over her head. His other hand tilted her chin up. "Toying with your feelings, am I? Do you have feelings, anyway?" His voice was mocking, making her eyes widen with alarm_._ "I can see you do. So, are you running away from them?"_ Could it be that you are the one toying with my feelings, instead? And this is your revenge?_ He leaned over. "I won't let you run away. As for what I want, want I want, is you," he whispered before he captured her lips with a searing kiss. 

Ever since that kiss, Aya had been confused, angry, and wanting. Patricia had plagued his thoughts in the days that followed that rainy night. Damned if he was going to suffer anymore. Gods, how he wanted her after that, to hold her, touch her and to feel her warmth. 

Patricia broke free, trying to catch her breath. She stared at him with wide, confused eyes. "Don't."

Aya's violet eyes were very penetrating when he stared at her. "Don't what?" His hands traveled from her chin towards her back, running his fingers against her spine, making her shiver. He leaned closer to her, making her very aware of him. He placed soft, moist kisses down the side of her neck, gently suckling the hollow at the base, lightly grazing her teeth against it.

She closed her eyes, biting back a moan of pleasure. _I can't let this happen,_ she thought frantically. She had to push Aya away, but something inside of her told her that she wasn't supposed to do that. "Don't," she repeated. She moaned as Aya's lips traced the outline of her earlobe. "Don't stop."

"Aa," he murmured, lifting his head to gently nibble her ear. He ran his fingers through her hair, marveling at its softness. His hands began to unbutton her blouse, allowing it to fall to the soft, carpeted floor. 

It was like the kiss that rainy night. They didn't give a damn about anything except now, the feel of their bare skin against each other. They explored each other's bodies thoroughly, their hands and lips teasing, caressing, and demanding a response. Patricia's room was filled with sounds of pleasure and passion, the air heavy with their scent, the scent of desire.

Needless to say, Patricia was not able to pack her clothes.

*******

Meanwhile, in Youji's room, Omi was busy scolding Youji. "Have your brain been totally eroded by nicotine? I can't believe you would be so stupid as to take a drink your enemy offered to you. You really should be more careful, Youji-kun," Omi chided gently. "I was very worried about you."

Youji's green eyes widened a little. "Honto? I thought you'd be glad to get rid of me!"

Omi frowned. "What makes you say that? Of course, there are times we want to get rid of you but really…"

Youji's interest perked up. "So you care about me, huh?"

"Naturally." Omi gave him a baleful look. "I'm angry because of your stupidity, but that doesn't mean I didn't care what was going to happen to you. I mean, it's not like I have so many real friends that I could afford to lose one just because he allowed himself to be murdered by his ex-date."

Youji smiled kindly at Omi. He was touched by the boy's concern about him. "Thanks. I promise I won't ever do that again." 

"You promise not to do what again?" Omi asked, confused.

"Make you worry, of course. And not to date psychotic girls," Youji replied with his usual devilish grin.

Shooting Youji a dark look, Omi stomped into the kitchen. Was Youji ever serious?

Youji lay back on the bed, a pleased smile on his face. Finally, he was getting somewhere. 

*******

"What's that? Is that a bruise?" Ken asked Patricia, pointing to a reddish mark on Patricia's neck. 

Aya and Ken were at the airport to see Patricia off. They barely made it, thanks to Patricia's last minute packing. Omi wanted to go with them, but he had to take care of the injured Youji.

Patricia flushed slightly. She should have worn a turtleneck to hide the hickey Aya gave her. _To mark you mine,_ he whispered to her last night. Unfortunately for her, she ran out of turtlenecks. She was saved from further embarrassment when her flight number was called. "I should go. My flight is here." She picked up her bags.

"Will you be coming back?" Ken asked.

Patricia glanced at Aya. The redhead returned her gaze calmly, but there was a determined glint in his violet eyes. She turned back to Ken. "Maybe. Ja, ne, gentlemen. Be well." Then she walked away.

"She'll come back," Aya said suddenly, startling Ken. "Now let's go home."

****

~T.B.C.~

Note: Thank you for everyone who helped me!!! Please, keep on reading! Don't forget reviews!!!

The interludes' purpose is to give a little background about Patricia and her relationship with the Weiβ Kreuz guys.

  



	12. Chapter V A: Beginnings

****

Disclaimer: I don't own Weiβ, I don't make money with this fanfiction and I don't want to be sued.

****

Chapter V.A: Beginnings

****

Autumn…

Patricia slowly lowered the flowers on the grave. She absent-mindedly wiped the dirt on the gravestone. "Hello, Martin," she whispered softly, her eyes growing misty. "I'm back."

Patricia was in Great Britain, where Martin was buried in the graveyard of an obscure parish in a little town somewhere in Wales. It was his second death anniversary. Two years since Yukino took him away from her. It was also her birthday.

They got married on her birthday. They were childhood friends, though Martin was five years older than she was. She had fallen in love with him when she was sixteen, when he helped her go through a difficult stage of her life. Being with Martin was one of the happiest days of her life. Then it was quickly snatched away.

She still had occasional nightmares about her, Yukino, and Martin. It was always the same. Yukino would be looming over her, scalpels in hand. Beside Yukino was Martin, moaning out her name, her late husband's face horribly disfigured. Patricia would wake up drenched in sweat, her heart pounding erratically.

"I killed the man who took you away from me," she told the silent gravestone. "I shot him in the face several times. Do you think that was enough?" Another silence answered her question.

She looked at her surroundings. The graveyard was surrounded thick clumps of trees whose leaves were now starting to turn to their autumn colors. Patricia loved autumn. She loved the different hues of bright colors: the yellows, the oranges, and the reds.

As Patricia spotted a red leaf flying past her, she was suddenly reminded of Aya. She frowned. Her relationship with Aya had changed rapidly since they first met. First, they were cordial antagonists, then grudging allies and now, unofficial lovers. _How did that happen?_

Was she falling for Aya? Patricia asked herself that question many times these past weeks and even now, she still couldn't answer her own question. It was just so confusing, what she felt for Aya. Besides, she couldn't just fall in love, not when there was the possibility of people like Yukino looking for her, wanting to get something from her. She was a great risk taker, but she also knew human life was something she couldn't simply trifle with. Even vigilante assassins value human life. With a small sad smile on her face, Patricia whispered good-bye to her husband's grave and left.

*******

"What are you thinking, Youji-kun?" 

Youji started, staring at Omi in surprise. Youji had been staring out the window, his thoughts drifting to the past, back when he was still a detective. Youji characteristically quickly regained his composure. He gave Omi a charming smile, a mischievous glint in his green eyes. "Nothing," he lied smoothly. "What about you? What are you thinking about?" he shot back.

"Me? Nothing." Omi felt himself blush under Youji's suddenly intense stare. Omi glanced away and frowned. Why was he blushing, anyway? Youji had teased him many times, much worse than this, but for some strange reason, Omi was almost always blushing whenever Youji teased or stared at him. All that teasing and staring was uncomfortable for Omi, but sometimes, when their eyes meet for even just a spit-second, Omi felt something stir within him, making him suddenly weak and unsure of himself.

"Oi, Omittchi," Youji suddenly said, putting a hand on Omi's shoulder. 

Omi jumped, startled out of his reverie. Another blush rose to his cheeks when Youji gave him an odd look. "Are you ill, Omittchi? You look a little feverish," Youji remarked, noting the flush on the boy's cheeks.

Omi quickly shook his head, willing the blush–and his odd thoughts–away. "Iie, Youji-kun. I'm all right. Were you saying anything important?" Omi asked, hoping to change the subject.

The blond playboy frowned then jerked his thumb towards the window. "Your aunt's here."

Omi threw a quick glance at the window. Sure enough, Patricia's car was parked in front of an apartment. She was sitting in the front seat; on the driver seat was a man Omi hadn't seen before.

"Wonder who the guy is? Aya's not going to be happy to know Patricia's two-timing him," remarked Youji.

"Youji-kun!" Omi cried out in protest. "How can you say that? You don't even know the guy."

"Then there's only one way to find out." Without another word, Youji went out to meet Patricia with Omi trailing behind him. "Welcome home, Patricia," Youji greeted Omi's aunt as she was climbing the stairs.

Patricia frowned at Youji but smiled at Omi. She gave Omi a fierce hug, ending it with a loud thump on the back. "Nice to see you again."

"So, how was Europe?" Youji casually asked.

She shrugged. "Cold and beautiful as always. The sights were great."

Youji looked pointedly over her shoulder. "I see you brought home one of the 'sights'."

"Him?" She pulled the man's hand and brought him face to face with Youji and Omi. He was about a few inches taller than Youji. "This is my twin brother, Patrick Angelus Takatori. Patrick, these are my co-workers." Omi noted that Patricia did not give Patrick their names. 

"He's your twin brother?" Youji asked in an incredulous voice, looking unabashedly at the young man.

"Yes. Is that so hard to believe?"

Omi compared the young man with Patricia. Both of them had black hair and gold-green eyes. They also nearly had the same facial features. Patrick smiled slightly at Omi, a dimpled smile that was clearly identical to Patricia's. If there were any doubts that the two were twins, the smile wiped away those doubts.

The man bowed. "It's a pleasure to meet you. As my twin said, my name's Patrick." He glanced at Omi briefly, then turned to Patricia, one eyebrow raised. Patricia only smiled back. "Where's your apartment?" Patrick asked his twin. He jiggled his hand. "Your suitcase's heavy."

"It's the last one on the right wing." Patricia gave him a key. Patrick then headed for Patricia's apartment.

When Patrick was out of earshot, Youji demanded, "How come you never told us you had a twin?"

"You never asked." She glanced over her shoulder. "I see Ken and Aya are here."

"Hi, Patricia," Ken greeted with a small smile before he pulled her into a gentle hug. Since Yuriko's death, the two had become close friends, perhaps because not only did they share the same interests, they also shared the same fate. Both of them had lost someone they cared about because of events involving Yukino. Patricia was pleased that Ken was looking well. She had been worried that Yuriko's death would break him_. Thank God, Ken's stronger than that_, she thought.

When Patricia pulled away from Ken's hug, she found herself staring at Aya. An expectant hush fell on the group as they watched the two. "Hi, Aya," she finally said in a neutral voice. Aya said nothing; he only nodded.

"That's it?" Youji exclaimed. "You two were separated for two weeks and all you do is say hi to each other?"

Aya glared at Youji. Then Aya saw an unfamiliar man emerge from Patricia's apartment. The man went straight to Patricia, put an arm about her shoulders, and kissed her softly on the cheek. Aya felt a sudden and brief surge of unmistakable jealousy, then he ruthlessly pushed the feeling away.

"By the way," Patricia said, amused gold-green eyes fixing on a puzzled Ken and an unflappable Aya, "this is my twin brother, Patrick. Patrick, my other co-workers."

"Twin brother!" Ken exclaimed, his eyes darting from Patrick to Patricia. His eyes widened with awe as he noted their uncanny resemblance. Meanwhile, Aya remained unperturbed.

"I am very pleased to meet you," Patrick said smoothly. Then he turned to his twin. "I have to go, hime." He ruffled her hair, hurried down the stairs, got in Patricia's car, and drove away.

"Maa! There are so many things I don't know about you, Himalayan," Youji said in a bewildered voice

Shoving her hands into the pocket of her coat, she smiled at Youji. "I like it to keep it that way, Kudou."

*******

"The sweater looks good on you."

"Hn," Aya managed to say, glancing at the mirror. The turtleneck sweater did look nice on him. It had the color of maple leaves in autumn, complimenting his red hair. He turned to Patricia, who was sitting on his sofa staring at him with her gold-green eyes. "Thank you," he said simply.

She smiled, her dimples showing. "I'm glad you liked it. I spent a week knitting that for you." She yawned, then stood up in front of him. "I guess I better go to sleep. I have to wake up early in the morning. It's my shift on the flower shop tomorrow." 

"Was that man really your twin?" Aya suddenly asked in his quiet voice.

Giving Aya an odd look, Patricia responded, "Yes. Is it so hard to believe? I know Patrick and I are complete opposites, but surely you can see the resemblance between us. He's older by four minutes. And yes, he does know I'm an assassin. Does he mind? A lot, actually." 

The redhead didn't reply. Seeing Patricia and her twin together sharply reminded Aya of him and his only sister, Aya-chan. Like the twins, Aya/Ran and Aya-chan were complete opposites. Ran was the quiet and serious, while Aya was the cheerful and carefree of the Fujimiya siblings.

Patricia noticed the strange look on Aya's face and knew instantly that he was thinking about his sister–she had spent enough time with him to know. His purple eyes would have a faraway look in them and his face would turn pale whenever he thought of his sister. Patricia felt a twinge of sadness. She knew how much he loved his sister, not only from observing him, but also from reading his file. He had given it all up for Aya-chan's well being without a single thought about his own welfare. Such selfless sacrifice was something Patricia has rarely seen and she secretly admired Aya for that selfless act. 

"I should get going," she said hastily, suddenly uncomfortable. She turned to leave. 

Aya, however, had other ideas. He held her wrist tightly. "No," he said in a firm voice, drawing her close to him. She stared at him, then gave a soft gasp when she saw the expression of wanting in his eyes. "Stay." He took her hand and drew her close. "I haven't properly greeted you yet." Then he leaned over her possessively, tilted her chin, and sealed her lips with a kiss.

*******

"Hi," Youji cheerfully said as soon as Patricia opened the door to her apartment. "May I come in?"

Patricia scowled, stepping back to allow Youji to enter. She obviously didn't expect Youji to be pounding her door this early in the morning. "What do you want?" she asked with characteristic bluntness. She must have noticed the hesitant look on his face because she asked, "Is it about Omi?" Youji's eyes widened, then he blushed and looked down. Folding her arms across her chest, Patricia asked, "Youji, how old are you?"

"Nearly over twenty-three. Why?"

"You're a grown man, Kudou. I trust you're mature enough to know and to have considered the possible consequences of what you have in mind for Omi."

"You know? About my, uh–feelings for Omi, I mean?" Youji's neck snapped up in surprise.

Patricia gave him a slightly amused smile. "Naturally. I have eyes, you know. A lot of things gave you away, Kudou." Her face turned serious. "I don't like it, but it's not for me to decide. Omi's almost an adult now. Ultimately, it's his decision to make, not mine. All I can tell you, Kudou, is that you take it slow. Don't rush Omi or you'll risk losing him." Then she added, "If you hurt him in anyway, I'll burn you alive."

Stunned by her reply, Youji just nodded. He went to Patricia to explain his intentions on Omi. He had expected Patricia to bite his head off. Instead, she gave him some advice. He suddenly laughed.

"Is there something wrong with what I've said, Kudou?" Patricia sounded a little offended.

He smiled sheepishly. "I expected you to kill me on sight."

She chuckled softly. "I see. Now let me get some sleep."

"Aya kept you up, huh?" Youji teased. 

"No, he did not," Patricia replied quickly, a slight blush briefly staining her cheeks.

"Are you two still in denial?" Youji asked in an exasperated voice.

"Of what?"

"That you're very attracted to each other. I have eyes too, you know, and it is plain as daylight that you two have the hots for each other. Besides, I've known Aya for a long time and I've never seen him act the way he does when you're around. He's more careful, sensitive and protective around you–not very much, but still, you have to be blind not to notice that. He likes you a lot. I even think he's slowly falling for you. And so are you." 

Patricia was silent for a moment. "I'm afraid I don't know what you're talking about," she lied calmly. "Aya and I are just friends. There is nothing like what you've said going on between us." 

Youji snorted. "That's bull, Patti, and you know it. I expected Aya to say something like that, but not you."

"You shouldn't expect too much, Kudou," Patricia snapped, eyes flashing, telling Youji that he had just overstepped his bounds. "Don't presume either, because you don't know me."

An uncomfortable hush settled in the room. "I'm sorry," Youji finally said. "I didn't mean to upset you."

"I'm sorry I lost my temper. It's just that I'm tired and…" her voice faltered, unable to continue. 

"I'll, uh, go now, so you can catch up with your sleep," Youji suggested. Patricia nodded. "I'll find my way out." Youji hurried towards the door.

"Kudou," Patricia called. Youji turned to her. "Be careful with Omi. I don't want him to get hurt."

Youji nodded, and then he left, quietly closing the door.

*******

Weiβ Kreuz's new mission came two weeks after Patricia arrived from Europe. Much to everyone's surprise, Manx came with Birman. Birman was as pretty as ever, though her eyes seemed hollowed now.

"Hey, Birman! We haven't seen you for a while," Youji remarked after they finished watching the video, a sly but sexy grin on his face. "Where have you been? I missed you."

Birman ignored Youji and instead gave Patricia a speculative look. "You must be Himalayan."

Patricia nodded. "And you must be Birman." They stared at each other for a moment, eyes assessing each other. Something seemed to pass between them. Then the two smiled. "So we have a traitor in Kritiker in the name of Hiroshi Ukari," Patricia said slowly.

"A traitor in Kritiker?" Ken said. "I didn't think we have those."

Manx frowned. Traitors weren't uncommon in organizations, and Kritiker has its share of it. "Unfortunately, we do, Siberian, and Persia wants you to deal to it."

Omi thoughtfully pursed his lips. "Ukari won't be easy to deal with. He worked for Kritiker for a long time. His records are very impressive. He knows more about the organization than all of us put together. He's very good."

"He used to be one of the best. Now, he's trading information with other organization–information about us. Not only that, he has also done several assassinations." Birman's eyes narrowed. "He must be dealt with."

"_'White hunters of evil, hunt the futures of these dark beasts,'_" Youji quoted softly. "Never thought we'd actually hunt one of our own," he mused, grimacing at the thought of killing a former agent of Kritiker.

"He's no longer one of us, Youji," Aya said coldly. "He's the target now."

*******

"I missed your cooking," Patrick said to her while eating the food she brought him. "It just tastes so good."

Patricia laughed. "I guess it does." She smiled fondly at her twin. It had been a long time since the two shared a dinner together. Both of them had been very busy, with Patrick being engrossed with his acting in Shakespearean Theater and Patricia with being preoccupied as a member of Weiβ Kreuz and as a future doctor. She glanced around the room. Patrick's apartment was messy as usual since he was the sloppier twin. Clothing and foodstuff nearly covered the room. She shook her head in obvious dismay. 

Patrick glanced up. "So, what do you want, princess? I assume this isn't just a social visit."

Patricia's voice turned serious. "I need you to send a message to the head of the European branch," she began. Then she proceeded to explain the whole nature of her mission here in Japan to her suddenly attentive twin. "So that's why I can't send it myself, because it might disrupt the whole thing," she concluded. "Will you do it?"

Patrick was silent for a moment. He stared at her straight in the eye. "Do they know about this?"

Shaking her head, Patricia replied, "My teammates? No." 

"Is that bothering you?" he asked softly.

That question got him an indignant look from his sister. "Of course it does! Why shouldn't it? I don't like keeping secrets from allies, especially now that I'm very much involved with…" her voice suddenly trailed off as she realized what she was saying. 

"The redhead?" Her twin supplied, a shrewd look on his face.

Patricia bit her lip. It was no use lying to Patrick. She knew he could see through her lies. "How did you guess?" she asked, looking down and making doodles on the table with her index finger.

"The way he looked at you. I swear, I think he wanted to kill me back when we first met. If you hadn't told him I'm your twin, I would have been dead." 

She smiled. Then her smile faded. "I shouldn't have gotten involved with him. It was wrong, and I know I should leave but I can't seem to get away from him. When he finds out what I'm up to, he'll probably kill me." She sighed, looking down. 

"Hey, you're not getting maudlin at me, are you?" Patrick teased, though inside he began to feel uneasy. His sister wasn't the maudlin type, but when she turned tearfully sentimental, something serious was afoot. He sought to change the subject. "Grandparents Sté. Claire's ninth death anniversary's coming up," he reminded her. Then he bit his lip, cursing himself. He had just reminded her of a more painful event.

Their maternal grandparents' ninth death anniversary. _Had it been that long?_ Patrick thought. Like many of their relatives, their grandfather, along with her grandmother, had been murdered. Their grandfather had been a fearless and popular politician in Britain. He had won the people's hearts with his unselfish devotion to public service but he also made powerful enemies–the same enemies that had them killed–right before her very eyes. Not only that, it might be possible that it was her own brother who had her grandparents killed.

It was that untimely death that pushed Patricia into the path of being a Kritiker agent. It hadn't been an easy path. She had been just twelve years old–a mere child when she joined but filled with incredible determination to make her _grandparents'_ killers pay. Kritiker didn't accept her at first, but she finally got in–all thanks to her family's political connections and her own 'talent'–or so she says. 

Patricia closed her eyes, probably trying to block away the waves of pain and guilt that always seemed to consume her when she was reminded of the past. Since then, she had lost many people she cared about. Far too many. Patrick wondered how she handled those loses. "This will be your last mission, right?" Patrick asked in an anxious voice. "You do remember the promise you made to mother, ne?" 

She smiled at her twin. "How could I forget that?" she murmured softly.

*******

Traitor. It was such a harsh word to describe him. Insurgent had a much nicer ring to it, though it practically meant the same. Staring at the star-filled sky, Hiroshi Ukari sighed. He turned to the man he was dealing with–a middle-aged gajin. "I'm afraid I cannot do what you ask of me," Ukari replied in a smooth voice. "That would be impossible." He watched with concealed pleasure as the man frowned.

"For you?" the man countered. "I think not." He studied Ukari through hooded eyes. "What's the problem? Money, perhaps? Is five million British pounds not enough for you? Do you need more?"

_Fool!_ Ukari thought with disgust. _Don't they know that it's not always about money? Foreigners._ "What you propose is quite out of the question. I can only provide information about them, but not kill them. They are too many, and far too skilled for me to deal alone," Ukari explained patiently to the gajin.

"Then we will provide you with manpower. If you need anything else, just tell us. We are willing to give you many things, as long as you kill them, and the girl remains unspoiled."

Ukari stared at the man, trying to figure out what was he up to. _Why is the girl important to you, old man?_ he asked silently, though his eyes showed nothing of his curiosity. Ukari was intrigued by the man's proposition. It wasn't often that he was offered five million pounds to kill people. With that kind of money, Ukari could leave the country and never have to work a single day in his life. It wasn't all that bad, until one considered the risks.

"Will you accept it?" the man asked.

_Five million pounds. Is it worth it? Perhaps_. With a curt nod, Ukari agreed to the deal.

*******

"What on earth are they talking about?" Patricia asked to no one in particular. She peered through her camera with its telephoto lens, trying to get a better view. She quietly took a picture of the scene.

"Remind me to take lip-reading lessons," Ken grunted, lifting his night-vision goggles. Shivering, he complained, "Why couldn't Omi have planted a bug on the table? It's so damn cold!"

Ken sounded so annoyed that Patricia had to laugh. "The night isn't that cold, Ken-ken," she replied teasingly. Patricia glanced around. They were watching Ukari in the rooftop of a building across the open-air restaurant where Ukari was meeting with a possible prospective client. Autumn was fast approaching, and the chill in the air proved it.

"Easy for you to say," grumbled Ken. He smiled shrewdly at Patricia. "You're a girl, and we all know girls have an extra layer of fat that insulates–"

"_Ken Hidaka!_" Patricia gasped in such an outraged voice that Ken laughed. She gave him a wry look then cleared her throat. "Omi couldn't plant a bug because Ukari might detect it and consequently blow up our mission." She then glanced back at Hiroshi Ukari. "Ukari's moving."

"That he is," Ken confirmed, watching their target walk away briskly. "We should get moving too. We have to get this film developed." 

As they were getting in Patricia's car, Ken remarked, "I still can't believe Aya let you out of his sight. Since the kidnapping, he's been guarding you like a hawk." He saw Patricia's go pale at the mention of the word 'kidnapping'. Ken then decided to ask her a question that had bothered him since the abduction. "Patricia, I hope you won't get mad, but I just want to ask: What happened in Yukino's lab right before we arrived?"

Patricia was quiet for a moment. Then, taking a deep breath, she recounted the events to Ken, who listened attentively. When she was finished, Ken stopped the car and gazed at Patricia with an incredulous look.

"Let me get this straight. Yukino was the one who–uh, assisted your mother when she gave birth to you and your twin?" Patricia nodded. "And he's been looking for you since then, and he was the one who had your husband killed?" She nodded once again. Ken narrowed his eyes. "Have you told Aya?"

She shook her head. "Didn't think I should tell him. What Yukino said only concerns me, not Aya." 

__

"You should have!" Ken admonished. "Aya's our leader, OK? You have to tell him because what happens to you–whether it's physical or mental or both, ultimately affects the group. You said that once, remember?" He glared at Patricia meaningfully, reminding her of the line she used on Ken.

Patricia winced slightly. "Ken, if I had told Aya, it would have only distracted him and the rest of you from the more immediate matters at hand at that time," Patricia explained patiently.

"I thought our own safety should be our first immediate concern."

She winced again. "I've been taking precautions, OK? I'm a big girl. I can take care of myself. So don't concern yourself with it." She sighed at the disapproving look in Ken's eyes. "Ken, right now, we can't do anything about it. We don't know a lot about Yukino and whomever he's working for, so for now, let's focus on something we know a lot about, like our mission. We'll worry about me some other time, ne?"

Ken seemed to think about what she said. Finally, he nodded. "I still think you should tell Aya." He started the engine once more. "Yukino called you Sleeping Beauty? What the hell did Yukino mean by that?"

"I don't know, Ken. I just don't know," she replied with another sigh.

*******

The current members of Weiβ Kreuz were considered as one of the most potent and skilled of the many Kritiker agents around the globe. They had taken out very formidable targets: first, the Prime Minister of Japan, Reiji Takatori, then later, the cult Esset. They were only four and yet, they managed to take out these powerful figures without losing their lives. 

Hiroshi Ukari flipped through the files he managed to get from Kritiker. It was really careless of Kritiker to leave written records of their agents. It was something he had pointed out a while back, before he became a freelancer. They hadn't listened then, and it had cost him his beloved's life.

Ahhh, love. It made one do unexpected things. He had loved his wife very much. She was like him, an agent of Kritiker. She had been gang-raped then killed two years ago by a drug syndicate whose boss Hiroshi had killed in a mission for Kritiker. Hiroshi had been in shock when he found out his wife was dead. It wouldn't have happened if he had been there, if the syndicate hadn't gotten their filthy hands on his Kritiker file. His wife would have been alive. She would be with him. Instead, she was rotting in the cold, unforgiving ground

After his wife's death, he had become a freelancer, a mercenary who had only one thing in mind: Destroy Kritiker. It had been his goal ever since–to avenge his wife's death with Kritiker's destruction. He wanted the people behind Kritiker to suffer as much as he did.

Weiβ Kreuz. He narrowed his eyes. If they disappeared, Kritiker operations would be very affected. It was a perfect thing to do. He smiled to himself.

*******

The meeting was called to order in a few minutes. There were fifteen people in the room, most of them men. Some of them were old, the others quite young. The leader, the one they called Zeus, first spoke, "Did the assassin agree to our terms, Hermes?" 

The one called Hermes stood up. "Yes. He hesitated for a moment, but he eventually agreed. He requests for our assistance."

"He shall have it." Zeus turned to a roguish-looking young man sitting a few chairs way from Hermes. "Ares, I want you to send your men to assist the assassin. However, instruct them to keep an eye on the slayer."

A young attractive woman fanned herself with an expensive peacock fan. "I don't see why we have to hire an outsider. Ares's men can take care of the job." She smiled provocatively at Ares, who smiled back.

"That may be so, Aphrodite, but the slayer knows more about them than we do," Hermes pointed out. "Ares may have the manpower, but not the information."

"Is all this fuss all worth it?" Aphrodite asked.

"It is, my dear. It is."

*******

Omi observed the pictures critically. "You take good photographs, Patti-san," he complimented his aunt.

"Thanks," Patricia said absently, her mind preoccupied. _Who was the man Ukari was talking to?_ she wondered. She turned to her nephew. "Can you run a check on whoever was the man Ukari was talking to? It might turn out something useful." She picked up another photograph of Ukari and stared at it. He seemed a little troubled, but why? "I hate games," she muttered to herself, not really meaning it. 

"Huh? Did you say anything, Patti-san?" Omi asked.

"Nothing important, Omi. Just talking to myself," she replied. 

"Uh, Patti-san, can I ask you something?"

"What is it?"

In a serious voice, Omi asked, "What did it feel like, to lose Martin?"

That question seemed to tale Patricia completely by surprise. She stared at Omi in disbelief. Omi expected that. After she revealed to them that she had been married, no one, not even Aya, ever asked about her dead husband. "W-what?" she stammered.

Omi looked deeply in her eyes. "I mean, how did it feel to lose Martin?"

Patricia gave his nephew an odd look, but didn't ask any questions why he was asking her. Instead, she replied, "It was…very painful. Nevertheless, falling in love can be painful…" her voice trailed off. "I wanted to be happy–to make other people happy as well, so I took the chance of loving someone, even though I knew things could get very painful at times." Patricia was about to ramble on when she noticed a faraway look on Omi's face. 

_Love can be painful_. _How true that was_, Omi thought. He had fallen in love with Ouka Sakaki, only to find out in the end that she was his half-sister, Reiji Takatori's daughter by his mistress. Omi would have accepted that gradually, would have been content and happy to have Ouka as a sister, but before he could even begin to do so, Farfello killed Ouka. Omi could still remember the taste of her lips when he kissed her and still could feel and hear the sound of her last breath. He felt his eyes burn as unexpected tears welled up his eyes. 

Patricia put a hand on Omi's shoulder. "Are you OK?" she asked anxiously.

Omi nodded, jerking back to reality. "Do you think you can love again, after Martin's death?"

Patricia smiled sadly. "Yes. It's going to be hard, but anything worthwhile always is." She cleared her throat. "So, are you really OK?"

He nodded again. "Well, thanks for bothering with my questions," Omi said to his aunt, looking up. Patricia nodded then returned to her previous task of studying the photographs. Omi then picked up a photograph and considered it for a few moments. "Patti-san," he suddenly said in an urgent voice.

Patricia hurried over to her nephew's side. "What is it?"

"I think he knew you were there," Omi said, pointing to Ukari in the photograph.

She took the photograph from Omi's hand. Ukari seemed to be staring directly at her. She felt a chill rush up her spine when she saw the look in his eyes. He seemed very aware of what was happening around him.

_The hunting begins_, she thought. "But who's the hunter? Is it us or is it him?" she whispered.

****

~T.B.C~

Yes! Read and review people!

So, what do you think? Everything's in place now. And it's starting to get interesting…

I'm not really a fan of Yaoi pairing in Weiβ, but I concede some of the best fics I read were Yaoi ones. Gosh, how do they do it? Yaoi is so hard to write…but easy to find but hetero…It's so hard to find! If anyone knows any non-Yaoi or shonen-ai Gundam or Weiβ fanfics out there, do please tell me!


	13. Chapter V B: Autumn Kiss

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Disclaimer: I don't own Weiβ, I don't make money with this fanfiction and I don't want to be sued. 

****

Chapter V.B: Autumn Kiss

__

Aya was in a mall, standing in front of a jewelry store. Aya had practically never stepped foot inside a mall, until now. He was accompanying Patricia, who wanted to pick up a few stuff. The 'few' stuff turned out to be not-so-few. Aya was now carrying several packages. _Women, they love to shop,_ he thought.

Aya looked at the glass window, staring at the display of jewelry. There were various rings on display, most of them engagement or wedding rings. Without knowing why, he suddenly felt uneasy.

"Ne, Aya, are you OK?" an overly genki feminine voice asked him. Patricia grinned at him. "The jeweler had to look for the necklace. Did I make you wait for long?" Se was holding a medium-sized shopping bag.

"No," he said coldly, wrenching his gaze from the rings. Patricia gave him an amused smile, letting Aya know that she didn't entirely believe him. "Gomen ne, Aya. I shouldn't have asked you to help me with my shopping. I should have asked Youji or Omi."

Aya stared at the girl standing in front of him. The mention of Youji's name made Aya more than a little uncomfortable. He realized with some surprise that he didn't like Patricia anywhere near Youji Kudou or for any man for that matter. After all, she was his girlfriend, wasn't she? 

His violet eyes narrowed at the thought. In every respect, Patricia was his girlfriend–except for the fact that they never actually admitted they were having a romantic relationship. Aya hadn't bargained for things to go this far. Nevertheless, as he spent more time with her, the more he felt drawn to her. Whenever he was with her, he felt that he was somehow at peace, that everything was all right. The fact that she was a Takatori seemed to fade in significance as the days they consumed together passed by. He hardly cared who she was. All he cared about was being with her. He shook his head. "I'm fine," he said brusquely. "Where to now?"

"The lingerie section?" she teased, laughing softly when Aya gave her a strange look. "It's not as if you haven't seen me without my clothes before." She took a few packages from him. "Let me help you out. Come on, I'll buy you something to eat for putting up with me. I know this hasn't been exciting for you." She was walking away when Aya firmly took her hand and walked beside her. Her eyes briefly widened with incredulity. Then a small smile touched her lips. Aya was such a constant surprise.

*******

"Where the heck have you been?" Youji demanded later that afternoon when he saw Patricia and Aya enter the room. "I waited a long time for the two of you. We have a meeting." 

Patricia opened her mouth to say 'look who's talking, the king of lateness' but Aya beat her to it. "Look who's talking. Patricia was shopping with me," he answered coolly, following his announcement with a look that seemed to challenge Youji to counter him.

"Shopping, you?!?" Youji was flabbergasted. He never imagined Aya putting up with girly stuff like shopping. He cast Patricia a sly look. "It must be love, then." 

"Shut up, Kudou. Shut up," Patricia replied through clenched teeth. She pushed away a stray lock of hair from her face then sat beside Omi. Aya stood behind her.

"So, uh, what are we going to do next?" Ken asked, hoping to bring everyone's mind on the matter at hand. "We know that Ukari is probably aware that we're hunting him down. What are we going to do about that?"

"We have to take extra precautions," Patricia suggested. "For all we know, he could already be on to us." She frowned. "I don't like this. We're supposed to be the hunters. Somehow, Ukari has turned the tables on us and now, we're the ones who's hunted." 

"You can say that again." Omi looked at the picture Patricia took yesterday. "I've identified the guy Ukari was talking to. His name is Morgan Terrence. He owns–"

"Terrence Corporation!" Youji exclaimed, jumping up. The four looked at him questioningly. "He owns one of the largest chain of supermarkets in America," Youji explained. "You know, T-Mart. His nicknamed M.T." 

"Why would a supermarket magnate associate himself with an assassin?" Omi wondered.

"Maybe he wants to have his competitor killed," Youji suggested in all seriousness. The others gave him a dark look. "What did I say?" Youji said innocently.

"I don't think Terrence is the type to risk that." Aya turned to Patricia. "What do you think?"

Patricia shrugged. "I don't really know. Terrence isn't acting alone in this one. It isn't all that easy to hire assassins, you know. There's always the risk of exposure. Someone could be backing him up. Someone powerful enough to assure Terrence of his safety just in case the crap hits the fan."

"Question is, who are they?" Ken murmured.

"We'll worry about that another time. Right now, our concern is Hiroshi Ukari." Aya flipped over the file Manx gave them. "He lives in a hotel not far away from here."

"Surveillance?" Omi asked. Aya nodded. "Youji-kun and I could probably handle that."

Youji instinctively turned to Patricia. She was staring at him, her gold-green eyes giving him a silent threat: _Try anything foolish, and you'll deal with me_. Youji winked back at her then faced Omi.

"Try to be inconspicuous as possible. If Ukari is really aware that we're after him, we can't risk exposing ourselves more," Aya told them. He also gave Youji a very penetrating stare.

"I'll look into Terrence." Ken was staring hard at the photo that showed Terrence and Ukari. "I have a strange feeling that we really have to know what Terrence wanted from Hiroshi Ukari. Besides, it bothers me to see a supermarket magnate dealing with that kind of person. Who knows, maybe Terrence's putting something in his supermarket that's unpleasant. Supermarket magnates and assassins together? Not exactly a comforting thought."

"I'll help, Ken," Patricia volunteered. "He bothers me. There's just something wrong about the whole thing."

"What do you mean, something? Everything is wrong," Youji remarked in a grim voice. 

*******

Omi and Youji began their stake out on Ukari the very next day. The two of them sat in a car parked near a nearby restaurant across Ukari's hotel. So far, Ukari hasn't made a move yet. Their target seemed to be intent on spending the whole day in his hotel room. "Come on, Ukari. You have to come out sometime," Youji muttered under his breath. "Damn, it's so hot in the car," Youji exclaimed, wiping beads of sweat on his forehead with the back of his hand. Actually, it wasn't exactly the heat in the car that was making him sweat.

Youji sneaked a glance at Omi. The eighteen-year-old was busy adjusting his binoculars so he could see their target clearly. Youji shook his head, amused at the boy's preoccupation with gadgets_. That's one thing I have to overcome if I'm going to start something romantic with him,_ Youji mused. 

"Youji-kun, you're not paying attention." Omi complained, noting the bemused expression on the blonde playboy's face. He leaned forward, peering at Youji's face. "What are you thinking?" Omi innocently asked as Youji suddenly looked bewildered. 

The older blonde froze. Omi's face was just a few inches away from him, close enough for Youji to inhale Omi's youthful scent. Gods, how he wanted to put his arms around Omi and… 

_Shit!_ Youji thought. _Take it slow, Kudou! Don't give in_! he reminded himself, remembering Patricia's advice. Then Omi pressed closer, blue eyes wide with concern. Giving in to his desires that he held back for a long time, Youji groaned and softly kissed a very surprised Omi on the lips.

*******

"You didn't have to accompany me," Patricia grumbled to Aya. She was now sitting in Aya's sleek Porsche en route to her twin's apartment. "You know that I can drive myself to my twin's house." Aya's eyes were piercing when he glanced at her. "The last time you drove a car, you got kidnapped," Aya pointed out in his calm voice. 

Patricia blushed. "That was a long time ago. I was tired back then and my mind was a little out of focus. It's different now," she insisted. She sighed. Facing the road once more, Aya frowned in thought.

It was weird, how fast her mood changes were nowadays. Yesterday she didn't mind his accompanying of her. Now, here she was, complaining. It drove him wild, figuring out what she was really feeling. Aya decided to ignore her present mood.

"Someone's following us," Patricia announced quietly, jerking Aya's attention back to reality. Aya discreetly glanced at the rearview mirror. Sure enough, a black car with heavily tinted glasses was following them. 

"Looks like I'm not going to my twin's house after all," she murmured dryly. She tightened her seatbelt. Then she looked at Aya and nodded. "Let's go."

*******

Omi was absolutely still for a moment. He ceased to be conscious of his surroundings. He was only aware of Youji's lips, warm and moist, firmly pressed against his own. Of the sudden warmth rushing to his heart and body. Then, a chill that seemed to fall down on his whole body like a bucket of ice-cold water suddenly replaced the heat. Omi roughly jerked away from Youji. "What are you doing?" he shouted in a harsh voice, not out of anger, but mainly from the sudden confusion in his emotions Youji's kiss had elicited. He backed away from Youji.

Youji stared at him. Omi could clearly see the look of regret and anguish that crossed Youji's green eyes. Youji's mouth opened to speak. "Omi, I–"

"Youji-kun, I–" Omi suddenly stopped. He glanced at where Ukari's car was. It wasn't there. "Ukari's car is gone!" Omi exclaimed, turning to Youji, the incident temporarily forgotten. "Where did he go?"

*******

"Down!" Aya commanded sharply, roughly yanking down Patricia's arm as another spray of bullets was showered on them. Aya swerved sharply as he avoided another car. "What do you think you're doing?" the cerise-haired young man demanded of the raven-haired woman beside him who was busy loading a handgun.

"What else but trying to save our ass!" she snapped, eyes flashing. She glanced back as a bullet whizzed past her head. "I can't believe they haven't run out of bullets yet," she muttered, cocking her gun. 

Aya gritted his teeth in silent agreement. The black car had been chasing them for hours. Aya hoped to beat them through his Porsche's speed. However, the black car still managed to catch up with them. The bullets came as soon as Aya made his move to evade them. So far, bullets had grazed his two arms while Patricia got a nasty gash on her tight when a bullet ripped through the bottom of her seat, managing to slash past her thigh.

"Hold it steady, Abyssinian!" Patricia hissed. To Aya's astonishment, Patricia was leaning out the window, hair whipping against the wind as she aimed her gun for one of the black car's tires. Mentally cursing the girl, he reluctantly did what she said. Another bullet bored through the window, this time shattering it. Patricia fired.

There was a loud pop as the other car's wheel's burst. The squealing of brakes and tires and the harsh, choking scent of burning rubber followed it. From his rear view mirror, Aya saw the black car spinning crazily in circles before ramming into an electric post with a satisfying crunch.

Aya sped away from the scene. When he was sure they were safe, he turned to his Patricia. "What do you think you were doing?" he said in a tightly controlled voice, ready to let out a stream of recriminations at her.

She turned to him, her face very pale and covered with sweat. Aya noticed she was breathing hard. Unbidden, his gaze wandered to her chest, where her bloodied right hand was covering a blood-stained patch on her blouse–the patch over her heart. She gave him a wry smile, and then said calmly, "I got shot."

*******

"The first part has been accomplished," a man in a dark blue suit said to a man with sickly green hair.

"Are you sure?" Ukari persisted, running his fingers through his newly dyed green hair. The man in the suit was one of the goons the organization that hired him. He was the perfect goon–not too bright and not too dumb, able to obey orders to the letter but also able to use one's common sense.

"Yes," the man in the suit answered.

"Good." Ukari glanced at the photograph. _Such a pretty face_, Hiroshi Ukari mused. The girl was something of a legend in Kritiker. Joining at the young age of twelve, soon becoming one of Kritiker's best agents. She had the talents and the will to be the best. Just like his beloved wife. She was one of the best as well, skilled in the arts of assassination and espionage. He clenched his fists tightly and closed his eyes, letting the fury he felt subside.

_I'm terribly sorry. We didn't know there was a leak. Forgive us._

Ukari opened his eyes, his eyes bright with angry tears. Forgive them? How could he forgive the people who had caused his wife's death? He will destroy them, no matter what!

*******

"What the hell happened? How is she?" 

Aya lifted his face at the familiar sound of the voice. Aya had been sitting in a bench outside ER room in the hospital where he brought Patricia an hour ago. To Aya's surprise, Patrick was standing in front of him, his gold-green eyes wide with anxiety. "How did you find out that she's here?" Aya asked him.

Patrick shrugged. "Let's just say it's a twin thing." He sat down beside Aya. "So, how is she?"

Aya looked at the floor, unable look straight into Patrick's eyes–eyes that remind him of Patricia. "They haven't said anything yet." He clenched his fists, trying to rein in his emotions. Once again, he had failed to protect her. Now, she was badly hurt. _K'so!_ he swore to himself savagely. He felt like hitting something.

At that point, the other members of Weiβ Kreuz appeared. Aya had called them to the hospital a while ago, though Aya didn't say why. All of them were breathing heavily when they arrived. "What happened?" Ken demanded of Aya breathlessly. He crouched, hands on his knees, trying to calm down himself. He looked around, eyes searching. "Where's Patricia?" 

Patrick glanced at the ER room in response to Ken's question.

Ken's eyes widened. "Nani?!" he exclaimed. Ken turned swiftly to Aya. "What the hell happened?"

Aya briefly recounted the events. All of them were frowning when he finished. "I don't get it. You let her lean out the window and shoot the car?" Youji asked Aya. 

Eyes showing nothing of the inner turmoil going inside of him, Aya gazed at Youji and replied. "Yes."

"That's probably the wisest thing you could have done at the moment," Patrick remarked, startling them. "Patti might have just jumped out of the car and took care of the pursuers herself." He gave them a small, wry smile. "My twin's always been the stubborn one in the family." He ran his fingers through his hair. "I wouldn't worry about her too much. She's been through situations like this before. She always survives. She's too lucky to die."

The words did little comfort to Aya. Not only was he worried about Patricia's life, he was also worried that something else behind that shooting, something far more important but so simple that he had overlooked it. There were so many unanswered questions like who was the one behind the shooting was or even why they were shot at. 

_Think,_ Aya said to himself. The shooters only attacked the two of them and not the others. _If this were part of a plot to kill all of us, why did our would-be-killers attack only Patricia and me? Moreover, why didn't they kill us?_ During the whole chase, Aya had a feeling they were holding back, though he did not know why.

Aya turned to Omi, whose face was in an unnatural shade of white. Omi's blue eyes were very wide, which indicated he had come to a horrifying conclusion. "Are you thinking what I'm thinking?" Omi said to his leader.

*******

He had no trouble getting in. It had always been ridiculously easy to get inside a hospital undetected, no matter how exclusive it was. No one was patrolling the hallways, no guards on the doors. He gestured towards his comrades, giving them the signal to enter. They entered stealthily, like thieves in the night.

He finally reached the room. He tested the doorknob, turning it carefully. He was more than a little surprised to find that it gave in quite easily.

_Are they such fools to do this?_ He wondered. His target's more dangerous guardians left an hour ago, probably to buy some food, which left his target's twin to care for her. He smiled maliciously. If this were a trap, then so be it. He was up to the challenge.

He burst into the room, guns ready, and senses alert. To his utter surprise, no one was there, except for his target. She was lying on the bed, back turned to him. He proceeded to her cautiously, looking around the room every now and then. When he reached her, he whispered, "Wake up, Sleeping Beauty."

She turned and to his utter shock, the figure was not his target, but a young man with blue eyes, pointing a loaded crossbow at him. "Say sayonara, Prince Charming," the young man said softly. 

*******

Somewhere in a secret room in the hospital, Aya heard a dull thud and the scampering of feet. A small smile of satisfaction curled his lips. Ukari had taken the bait, and was now facing his action's consequences.

A soft murmur made Aya's thoughts turn back to the task at hand. Aya stared at Patricia, who was propped up against the pillows in a bed next to him. His features softened for a moment, then as his gaze wandered towards to her wounded chest, his features hardened. Gripping the sheets, he felt a sudden surge of anger directed to him and to fate. Once again, he had been unable to protect someone he greatly cared about from harm. First, it had been his family, then, it was Patricia. 

She was better now, the wound in her chest fast healing, but it did little to assuage his anger. _He nearly lost her_. Someone had hurt her and that someone would pay. He closed his eyes as he tried to subdue the powerful emotions he was feeling. He needed to have a clear head tonight. He didn't need his feeling clouding his senses.

"You shouldn't be sleeping during guard duty," a weak though teasing voice chided him. Aya opened his eyes and found himself staring at Patricia's gold-green eyes.

She smiled at him, her tired but nonetheless sparkling eyes telling Aya she was pleased to see him.

"I wasn't sleeping," Aya responded dryly, quickly hiding the relief he felt. It was the first time Patricia had woken during her week's confinement in the hospital. They had feared she would never wake up.

"I know. I was only teasing you." To Aya's surprise, she slowly lifted her hand and touched the small bandage on his cheek. "How are you?" she asked softly.

"I'm fine," he replied coolly. He absently took her hand and held it. "How about you?"

"A little weak." She touched her chest. "My chest still hurts." She looked around, wincing as she tried to sit up a litter straighter. "Where's my twin and the others?" 

"Doing their job," Aya said simply.

She frowned. "What job?"

*******

The fight was getting vicious. Nobody seemed to want to give up. Everyone wanted to win. Ukari had not come alone. He had brought many men with him, men carrying very dangerous weapons.

Omi swore under his breath. Ukari had skillfully evaded the arrow, and before any of them could make a move, several armed men made their entrance.

Omi hurled his shurikens towards the enemies with deadly accuracy. As soon as the shurikens sank into their targets, they exploded, sending bits of flesh and bone flying into the air.

"Nice job," Youji remarked from behind Omi. Youji was busy strangling the remaining enemies. Youji would coolly loop his wire around their neck, then proceed to choke the life out of them. As the other goons rushed over him, Youji pushed their late comrade's innate body towards them, knocking them off their feet.

"Where the hell is Ukari?" Ken shouted. He was also busy felling Ukari's men by plunging his bugnuks deep into their chests, puncturing their hearts. He kicked one of the inert bodies aside.

Omi scanned the mob for Ukari's distinctive green hair. Amidst the confusion that ensued during the battle, Ukari had managed to disappear. "He's not here!" Omi shouted back to Ken, suddenly sick.

"Then where the fucking hell is he?" Youji demanded.

*******

"You didn't think I'd find you, did you?" Ukari said in a gloating voice, his gun pointed at a poker-faced Aya. "You nearly had me fooled back there, but you're not smart enough."

Aya was silent, his face not showing his astonishment at Ukari's appearance. He briefly wondered how Ukari found out where he and Patricia were, but Aya reminded himself that it did not matter for now. 

His violet eyes focused on Ukari. Hiroshi Ukari was a small man with dyed green hair and a rough-looking face. Although he didn't seem like the type of guy to take jobs like this, Aya knew better than to judge a person his looks. Aya put himself between Hiroshi and Patricia, shielding his girlfriend from Hiroshi. Aya held his katana tightly; his body tense and ready to strike if Ukari so as even make a single step towards him or Patricia. 

Behind him, Patricia sat helplessly on the bed. Her face was impassive as well, showing nothing. Ukari stared at the girl. She was incredibly beautiful, prettier than most women he knew. She was wearing a hospital gown, and her hands were gripping the sheets. 

Ukari then studied the cerise-haired young man in front of him. Hiroshi knew that this youth was the leader of the current Weiβ Kreuz, the one codenamed Abyssinian, Ran/ Aya Fujimiya.

Ukari cocked his head to one side, mentally sizing Aya up. There was a defiant look in the redhead's purple eyes that seemed to dare Ukari to make a move towards him and the girl. _Well,_ Ukari thought, _I'm up for that_. "Give the girl to me, boy, and maybe I'll spare your life," Ukari said in a low, coaxing voice. Fujimiya only stared back at him, eyes flat. Clearly, Aya was not persuaded.

Hiroshi then decided to use another tactic. "I don't see why you're so intent on protecting her," Hiroshi said conversationally. "Isn't she the sister of the man who had your family killed, Ran Fujimiya?" he continued, taunting Aya using that very sensitive fact. "Aren't you betraying your family by protecting her?" He sneered contemptuously. "So you weren't immune to feminine wiles after all. She looks at you with her big green eyes, bats her sooty eyelashes and you get suckered. Fool!"

Ukari watched as Patricia glanced at Aya's profile. Ukari saw Aya's grip on his katana slacken. A look of indecision briefly crossed his face. Then just as briefly as it had appeared, the look disappeared. His eyes narrowed and he squeezed the girl's shoulder. Whether he did that to assure her or just as a reflex, Ukari didn't know. "And aren't you betraying the memory of your wife by associating yourself with people not unlike the ones who had your wife killed?" Aya asked coldly, remembering what was written in Ukari's dossier. Hiroshi Ukari had a beautiful wife who was also a member of Kritiker. Unfortunately, the girl died while on a mission, after a spy in Kritiker tipped off the organization whose boss Hiroshi had killed in a mission by. Since then, Ukari had become what he was now.

That particular line of thought did not go well with Hiroshi. A look of outrage crossed his features. "My wife died because of Kritiker's ineptness. My wife would understand that I'm doing this only as way of avenging her death. Yes, she would have been proud."

"Still, your wife's death does not give you the reason or the right to betray Kritiker," Patricia suddenly said in a hard voice. Both men seemed to be startled when she spoke. "What do you want, monsieur?" she asked bluntly, weary of Ukari's mind games.

Ukari's gaze shifted to her, but the gun was still pointed at Aya. "Isn't it obvious? It's you they want, Himalayan–alive that is. They want the others too, of course, but they want them dead."

"Does them pertain to Terrence and his cohorts, whoever they are?" she inquired.

Ukari smiled slyly. "I don't disclose my employers. Your pictures don't do you justice, Sleeping Beauty. You're prettier up close and personal. No wonder Fujimiya fell for you." Ukari then turned back to Aya. "Enough of this." Without warning, Ukari pulled the trigger.

Aya immediately sprang into action as the bullet shot towards him. Aya covered a confused Patricia with his body, hurling both of them towards the wall behind the bed. Instead of smashing into the wall, the wall tilted open. They tumbled into another room, falling into a mattress. Aya was barely aware of Ukari's cry of anger; he was only conscious of the fact that Patricia was away from Ukari, cradled safely in his arms.

Aya heard a loud crash as the door in the other room burst open. He heard Omi cry out in a voice filled with fury, "I won't let you hurt my aunt!" Omi's cry was followed by several gunshots and crashing sounds–like a brawl had erupted in Patricia's room. Then a sudden shriek of pain that lasted for a second or so. 

"What the hell is going on?" Patricia demanded of Aya. 

Aya didn't reply. He was busy listening for the signal. There were three knocks, telling Aya it was all clear. Next, he heard Youji ask, "Are you two all right?"

"That depends what you mean by all right, Kudou," Patricia replied wearily.

*******

They were back in Patricia's original room. Omi had killed Ukari by burying an exploding shuriken into Ukari's chest. Ukari's bloody remains were now dumped somewhere in the outskirts of the town, along with several of his men. It took a while to get the room cleaned up, but they managed it anyway. 

"I don't understand. Ukari was after me?" Patricia wanted to know. She was propped up against the pillows, a confused look on her pale but pretty face.

"That's our theory, princess." Patrick turned to Aya, who was sitting beside Patricia's bed. "Ukari called her Sleeping Beauty?" He scratched his head. "That's weird. Mom used to call Patricia by that name."

"Yukino called her by that name too," Ken supplied in a quiet voice.

"Yukino? As in Shin Yukino, the ob-gyn?" Patrick turned sharply to her abruptly silent twin. "Wasn't he our mother's ob-gyn?"

"I see," Aya suddenly said in a cold voice. He stared at Patricia but said nothing. He didn't have to, since his amethyst eyes said it all.

*******

"The assassin failed," Hermes reported. "I take full respon–"

"Don't be foolish, Hermes. The assassin failed because of his own shortcomings. You are not to blame. However, this will be the last time we shall ask for outside help. Next time, we will deal with those tasks ourselves."

"You are merciful, my lord Zeus. Rest assured that the next time we hunt, we will use our own hounds."

*******

"Looks like those two are going to have some showdown," Ken remarked with a knowing smile, closing the door of Patricia's room after Aya asked for them to leave him and Patricia alone in the room. "Isn't that nice?"

"Yeah," Omi remarked in an unenthusiastic voice.

Ken discreetly glanced at Omi. The boy had been acting strange for the past few days. Ken noticed that Omi was quieter now. What disturbed Ken the most was the fact that Omi seemed to be suddenly avoiding Youji.

Ken then turned his attention to Youji, who was smoking in a corner despite the 'No Smoking' sign above him. The blonde playboy had been quiet as well. Youji also no longer flirted with girls (in this instance, with the nurses), something, in Ken's opinion, was a shocking thing for Youji to do. Youji's green eyes seemed to have an anguished expression in them. _What's going on?_ Ken thought.

Omi sneaked a glance at Youji. Since the kissing incident, Omi had prudently tried to avoid any forms of contact with Youji. Omi wasn't ready to face whatever happened between them and Youji. He was ashamed to admit that he was thankful for his aunt's recent mishap, for it took his mind off the matter.

Omi sighed. Avoiding Youji wasn't going to be easy. They worked together and lived in the same apartment building. They would inevitably see and bump into each other.

He absently raked his fingers through his hair, recalling what happened a few days ago. _What had happened back then? Why did Youji kiss me? Was Youji simply teasing him? On the other hand, did the kiss meant something deeper, something that went beyond lust? More importantly, what are my feelings about the kiss?_ Omi shook his head. It was all so confusing. At first, Omi was outraged the Youji would dare do such a thing to him but now, after a few days…he wasn't too sure what he felt. Part of him wanted to kill Youji for the audacity of it but another secret part of him wished the kiss would never end.

Omi closed his eyes and leaned against the wall, praying that everything would be back to normal, even though he knew it would never be.

*******

The questions came as soon as the door closed. The first one was predictable. "Why didn't you say anything about Yukino to me?" Aya asked in a flat voice. "You should have."

Patricia looked down and began to pleat the edge of her blanket. "I didn't think it was any of your concern," she replied lamely. "Besides, you never asked."

"I never asked?" Aya repeated mildly. Aya resisted the urge to shake and shout at her. She was his concern, damnit! She was his_ girlfriend!_ It was his right and responsibility to know! Aya crouched in front of Patricia, tilting her head so that her eyes looked directly into his. "You promised you'd never let this happen again."

"I did? I don't recall making any promises like that." She looked totally confused.

"After Yuriko died, you promised–" 

Patricia stared at him. "Oh, that promise. I was pertaining to my carelessness and not–"

"I was talking about your safety," Aya cut in his quiet voice. "By the gods, didn't you realize how worried I was about you? How much I cared?" Then he bit his lip. He shouldn't have said that. It revealed too much of what he felt for her. He turned his back at her.

"You care about me? Why do you care?" She said in a wistful voice. "I didn't think that you knew that you found me worthy of being cared about. I always thought you didn't know you cared for me." She began to pleat her blanket again.

Surprised by Patricia's answer, Aya was silent for a moment. "The reason why I never said that I cared for you," he began, "is not because I didn't know I cared about you, but because I do know but I thought you knew what my feelings for you were."

Silence followed Aya's words. Then she burst out, "I'm not psychic, Aya. I can't always know what you think or feel." She smiled suddenly and took his hand. "Look, I'm sorry I didn't tell you what Yukino said. I'm used to dealing with my problems alone and I find it hard to share them. I can't promise you anything but I'll try not to do that again. I'll promise I'll try not to keep my problems a secret from you. Is that good enough?"

Aya found himself unable to stay angry with her. Hating himself for being so weak, Aya didn't reply for a while. This girl meant a lot to him, probably more than Patricia realized. He squeezed her hand, reassuring her. _I'll ever let anyone hurt you,_ he vowed silently, gazing into her gold-green eyes. _I will protect you._

_But from whom am I protecting you?_

****

~T.B.C~

Notes: Thank you to Ai-chan for giving me loads of ideas. And to Neko and Ka-chou, too! 

Oh, gosh! The shonen-ai part's here! I'm sorry if it's too oversimplified. I'll try to write better. 

It's interesting to note that Koyasu Takehito (you know, Aya's Japanese voice actor) said in an interview (found in a website owned by someone named Sumire *scratches head* not sure…) that if Aya were to say I love you, he'll say it by saying, "I'll protect you." I didn't get the line (in the fanfic) from there, but it's interesting how coincidences crop up every now and then.


	14. Interlude: Hostage

****

Disclaimer: I do not own any characters of Weiβ or Weiβ Kreuz. Special thanks to **_Cielo_**, for reviewing!

****

Interlude: Hostage

The air was cold, although it was the middle of the day. Omi yawned. He glanced at his professor, who continued discussing the Heisenberg uncertainty principle although none of his students listened to him. Omi's seatmate, Jun Takakura, even snored as he dozed off.

Omi glanced down at his notebook. He doodled for half an hour now, wrote names and made caricatures of his classmates. He sighed as his professor launched another lecture about atoms and electrons.

Just then, the door burst open with a loud bang. "What the hell was that?" a startled student exclaimed. A man dressed all in black stormed into the room. Screams erupted when the man brandished a high-powered shotgun. "What is the meaning of this?" the professor demanded angrily. 

Instead of answering, the man pointed the gun at the professor, and shot him in the head. The professor's suddenly headless body stiffened for a moment, then toppled down to the blood-splattered floor. 

The man turned to the students. Cocking his gun, he shouted, "All of you, to the right side of the room, **_NOW_**!" He fired another shot, this time towards the roof. Amid shouts and crumbling plaster, the students rushed to the right side. Omi glanced at his classmates. Many of the girls cried, while several of the guys had a frightened, stunned look on their faces. Meanwhile, Omi feigned fear, and he clutched his backpack tightly.

The man locked the doors, then stepped forward. "Now, don't you try anything funny," the man said in a menacing voice, his eyes fixed on them. "Or you'll end up like the poor professor over there. Is that understood?" 

The frightened students nodded. The boring Physics class suddenly took a deadly turn. The air was indeed cold, but now, it had nothing to do with the weather.

*******

The news of the hostage-taking in the university spread fast, and soon, a squad of police cars and a crowd of anxious parents, media, and curious onlookers formed outside the building of the university. 

"Omi," Youji breathed out as he watched the news unfold. Omi studied in that university. Could Omi be among the hostages? _He couldn't be,_ Youji thought with despair. _Not when I haven't explained the incident yet._

Youji raked his fingers through his long, curly blonde hair. For several days now after the kiss, Omi steadfastly refused to talk to him. They avoided each other for weeks now, something Ken noticed.

"Is there something wrong between you and Omi?" Ken asked Youji a few days ago while the two of them worked in the flower shop. 

Youji flicked away his cigarette. He uncharacteristically ignored the girl in front of him and turned to face Ken. "What makes you say that, Ken-ken? Omittchi and I are getting along fabulously."

"Cut the bullshit, Youji. You and Omi are not getting along fabulously. You two hadn't been talking to each other for days. You have also been avoiding each other. What's going on?" 

Youji picked up a bunch of roses and handed it to an adoring customer. "Nothing's going on." Youji then smiled flirtatiously at the girl. The girl blushed and stammered to thank Youji. 

Ken threw up his hands into the air. He proceeded to take care of the other customers, but not before casting Youji a dark look. 

Youji swore to himself. So, Ken noticed what was happening between him and Omi. Pretty soon, everyone would notice. And when they do, Youji was sure that his eardrums would burst from their recriminations and every bone in his body will be broken from the beatings he will get. Youji shook his head, once again berating himself for letting his impulse take over. Now, he alienated Omi from him, and it will take a long time before his relationship with Omi would go back to normal. Youji sighed as he recalled what had happened a few days ago when he tried to patch things up between him and Omi.

Youji waited at Omi's doorstep to talk to the boy. When he saw the teenager, he immediately launched into his lines. "Omi, we should talk about what happened in the–"

"Iie," Omi replied brusquely, not looking at Youji.

"But–"

"Urusai, Youji-kun. Yamete." Omi said quietly, this time looking at Youji with cold blue eyes. Without another word, he went into his apartment and slammed the door in front of Youji's face.

Youji winced at the memory. He would try to explain things to Omi some other time. _However, for now,_ he thought as his gaze shifted to the TV, _I have to make sure he's OK. After all, what good is an explanation when the one you're supposed to explain to is dead?_

He rose from his seat to tell the others what he just saw, just in case they hadn't seen it yet. Youji swung open the door, only to find Ken in the act of knocking on his door. Youji took one look on Ken's worried face and instantly knew why the brunette was here.

"Come on," Ken told him gravely. "Aya and Manx are waiting for us."

*******

Omi studied their hostage-taker briefly. The man was of average height and of medium build. He had black hair and eyes. He appeared to be in his late twenties or early thirties. On his hand was a shotgun; on the other was a hand grenade–two weapons that could spell death to him and his classmates. 

Tense silence filled the whole auditorium now, broken only by an occasional sob. Everyone avoided gazing at the professor's remains. So far, the man wasn't doing anything harmful to them. 

"What do you want?" Omi heard one of his male classmates ask, Omi glanced sharply at the owner of the voice. It was his seatmate, Jun Takakura. He sat beside Nanako Murakami, who gripped Jun's sleeve tightly. 

The man flashed him a smile that betrayed nothing of his intentions. "A sign."

"What do you plan to do to us? Who are you?"

"You'll see. As for my name, I am Akito Yamada." The man drew something out of his coat. Everyone winced, afraid that he would pull out a gun and shoot Jun. Instead, he took out a cigarette and casually lit it. Then the man raised his shotgun. "Shut up, kid. No more questions, unless you want me to shoot you."

Jun glared at the man for a moment, then looked away. Omi took a deep breath, relieved that Jun wasn't hurt. As he huddled with the rest of them, he began to think of a plan to get him and his classmates out of this mess. He casually reached up to his earring so as not to arouse suspicion, then activated the transceiver.

*******

"Does Patricia know about Omi?" Ken asked Aya when he noticed Patricia was nowhere in sight.

"No. And I have no intention of telling her for now," Aya replied curtly. He studied the blueprint in front of him. "Is this the blueprint of the building Omi's in?" he asked Manx. "Is he really one of the hostages?"

Manx nodded. "I had Birman look for the list of the students having their class in the auditorium during the time the hostage-taking happened. When she confirmed Omi was indeed there, I contacted the rest of you–except Patricia–and obtained a blueprint of the building." She didn't add that Persia disapproved of the mission.

"Omi just activated his transceiver," Youji announced when he saw a blue dot light up on the computer screen. "He isn't saying anything yet. At least we know he's alive," he added with relieved sigh. The news reported earlier that a shot was fired from inside the room, and for a while Youji thought that the shot hit Omi.

"Who is that madman who took the students as hostages?" Ken asked. "Do we have any files on him?"

"We don't know who he is. We don't even know if the he's really a he. We haven't seen the 'man's' face yet, so we don't have that much information yet. We still have to wait for him or Omi to say something."

"By that time, it might be too late. The hostage taker might have hurt or killed one of the students or," he said with a grim smile, "Omi might make a move on his own to save his classmates and get himself killed." 

*******

"This is the police. We will not hurt you. You are surrounded. Come out where we can see you." On the background were the faint wail of sirens, and the whir of helicopter blades. 

_Why do they bother to do that?_ Omi thought with disgust. _I know it's protocol, but it's pretty useless. It's not like the man is actually going to follow their orders_. Omi glanced at their hostage taker. There was a small, contented smile on his face, as if the thought of several armed policemen and cars surrounding the building were an amusement to him, that they posed no threat to him. 

Omi focused on the man's eyes. The young blonde saw eyes like that before–in the eyes of his targets, those hardened bastards who didn't give a damn about taking another person's life. Youji once called eyes like those 'snake eyes'. Cold, cruel and expressionless eyes. Eyes like that frightened Omi. 

Omi saw it on Akito's eyes when he shot his professor. Omi suppressed a shudder. Akito's eyes were emotionless when he blew off the professor's head. This man killed before, and won't hesitate to kill a few more.

The shrill ring of a cell phone made the students jump. Their anxiety turned into fear when the man reached into his pocket again. To the students' astonishment and relief, he only drew out a cell phone. "I've been waiting for your call, old man," their hostage taker said in a mocking voice. "What kept you? Are the lives of your students mean so little to you?" The man laughed harshly. "I should have expected that. After all, you couldn't care less about your son, so why care about your students?" 

Omi slowly edged towards a slightly inconspicuous corner and began to talk. "Anyone out there?" he said in a voice loud enough for only the Weiβ Kreuz members to hear. 

"What's happening?" a curt voice that Omi identified as Aya asked. "Who's the hostage-taker?"

"He said his name's Akito Yamada. He isn't making a move yet. He's currently talking to someone. He has a shotgun and a hand grenade. He killed my Physics professor. He hasn't stated his intentions. By the way he acts and looks, he may have experience in killing." 

"Can you describe him?"

Omi did. Then he asked, "Are you going to do something?"

"Maintain contact, Omi. Don't make any moves yet and wait for orders," replied Aya, then he was gone. Omi turned back to Akito. His eyes flashed with anger, and he gesticulated wildly, the gun in his hand swaying. 

"–how dare you do this to me, after all I've done for you!" the man shouted angrily. "I killed people for you! And what did you do? You threw me away when I needed you! You bastard!" He hurled the phone across the room then turned to them. The students shrank back fearfully under his intent, suddenly malicious gaze. 

*******

"What are we going to do now, Yamada-sama? If he goes on like this, he may reveal information that–"

"I know that, fool! You need not say that!" the man shouted to his frightened underling as he leapt out of his seat. He was furious. "I had been assured that he will not give me any problems. What has happened to those assurances?" He turned to his other men. "I want you to deal with this problem immediately. Nobody tells the police anything. Do not let them get any closer to the building than necessary."

"But the students, they may get hurt or killed!"

The man swung his furious gaze at him. The man shrank back in fear. "We can always get more students," he stated coldly. "Their loss is…regrettable, but _no one must know_. If it means involving the students, then so be it."

"The parents may suspect us." 

"We can blame it on the madman," came the reply in a chillingly flat voice. 

*******

"We finally identified who Akito Yamada is. He's the youngest son of Junichiro Yamada, the president of Omi's university and a former Minister of Education," Manx told the group. "According to our sources, Akito threatened Junichiro to make him sorry for abandoning him when one of his missions failed a few weeks ago. Akito was his father's wet boy, you see. He's a good one–_too _good, unfortunately."

"W_hat?!?_"

"His father's assassin. The elder Yamada used his son to kill people he had…differences with."

Ken whistled. "That's incredible! I mean, using your own son to do your own dirty work! Of all the lowest–" he abruptly stopped his tirade when he remembered something. His eyes went wide.

"Youji and I will get into the building and try to get near as possible to the auditorium where Omi and his classmates are being held hostage." Aya turned to Ken. "You watch and research for further details about the hostage-taker. Maintain constant contact with Omi and us through the transceiver."

"What about Patricia?" Aya glared at Ken. "I mean, if she knows about this she might get upset and hurt–"

"She won't find out, Ken."

"Enough of that already," Youji cut in. "So we know who the madman is. What are we going to do?"

"Try to get Omi and his classmates out of there before either Yamada kills him," Aya said simply. "The younger will kill Omi if he makes a move to stop him. The elder will kill Omi because Omi and his classmates may know too much about him and his son. A man who uses his son to kill will not hesitate to kill students if it means preserving his reputation."

The thought scared Youji. Either way, Omi would end dead. "What are we waiting for? Let's get to work."

*******

"What the hell are we going to do?" Hiro Yamaguchi whispered to Omi. "We can't just sit here and wait!" He glanced furtively at their captor. He then turned to Omi, an expectant look on his face.

Omi shook his head. "We _have_ to wait. If we do anything, it might startle the man and kill, if not us, the others. The best thing we can do is to wait for the authorities to save us." _Or for my teammates to act,_ Omi didn't add. He heard their conversation. He couldn't believe their kindly-looking president was actually a monster. _Gods, what kind of a father uses his own children for his own twisted means?_

_A man like my father,_ Omi thought with a bitter smile, remembering how callously Reiji had used his two older brothers, Masafumi and Hirofumi, and how Reiji abandoned him when he was kidnapped. Although he knew his father and brothers were not worthy of any affection, Reiji's indifference for his welfare and his brothers' betrayal and abuses still had the power to hurt Omi. _And what about Ouka? Did **he** use her, too? _Omi shook his head, trying to get rid of his unpleasant thoughts. However, given the situation he was in, it wouldn't be easy.

__

Why do the people I give my affection to always seem to end up hurting me one way or another? Omi asked himself. _My father did, My brothers did–even Ouka, in some way… even Patti-san and Youji-kun have–_

He stopped. The thought of Youji immediately brought the 'kiss' into focus. _Why am I dwelling so much about that? It was just a kiss! For all I know, he was just teasing me._ Youji tried to explain a few days back, but Omi, in a burst of childishness, brushed him off. Now, he and Youji weren't talking to each other, something that made Omi really regret that action. He and Youji had always been close friends. It would be a shame that that closeness would be ruined by a single kiss. It was just a kiss, wasn't it?

He bit his lip. This wasn't the time for him to think about that. Omi carefully opened his backpack and felt the poison darts he hid in a secret pocket in his bag. He glanced at Akito. Omi could take him out, but how would he explain to his classmates and to the authorities his familiarity with its use and his possession of such deadly weapons? What were the authorities doing, anyway? They hadn't announced anything for a while now.

There was a soft hissing sound, and suddenly, the air in the auditorium began to change. Omi quickly pressed his shirt to his nose and held his breath. It was gas…_but what kind of gas?_ he thought. _Gods, I hope this isn't like the ones the Russians used on those in that Moscow theater_. He looked around. His classmates didn't seem to be aware of it, but Akito was. He covered his face with a mask, and he looked at Omi curiously.

"What's that?" Hiro shouted, sniffing the air. The others noticed too, and began to cough. "It's gas! They're gassing us!" Panic broke in the room and the students covered their noses and headed towards the door–

–which burst open to reveal seven hooded men, holding SMGs*. The men then opened fire at them. Several students fell down dead at the first spray of bullets. The others ran to different directions, desperate to escape death. Omi saw Akito Yamada slip out of the room, dodging bullets and using students as shields. Grimly, Omi set out to follow him, but not before throwing a few poison darts at the armed men. His classmates were being murdered in cold blood in front of him and he was not about to watch idly. _Fuck the consequences!_ Three of the seven men fell down immediately–it was a very strong poison–and that certainly startled the others. The shooting paused for a while, long enough for his classmates to run to safety. Omi then made his escape.

Aya and Youji were heading to the auditorium when they heard the gunshots. "What the fuck happened?" Youji demanded of Omi. When Omi didn't reply, Youji's panic level hit an all-time high. "Omi!" he shouted. 

"I'm OK." Hearing Omi's voice nearly made Youji's knees buckle with relief. "Help my classmates. Someone sent up some guys to kill Akito and us. It might be the elder Yamada. I'm currently chasing Akito."

"What?!? Omi–" Youji started to protest but Aya cut him off. "Proceed, Omi. We'll take care of the others."

"Hai." Then Omi was gone. Aya glanced blandly at an outraged Youji and said, "Let's go."

*******

Ken gulped as he watched the live coverage of the hostage taking. The situation in the university was getting worse. He hoped Aya and Youji got into the university in time to save Omi and his classmates. 

"Ken, do you know where Fujimiya is?" a familiar voice suddenly asked. Ken jumped, then turned to face a Patricia, who stood at the door with a puzzled look on her face.

_Uh, oh_. "Anou, Patricia, where have you been?" Ken asked with a slight stammer, desperate to stall things. He stood behind the TV, making sure Patricia wouldn't see what was on the news.

"I went to a board meeting. Have you seen Aya? He has the keys to the locked apartment." When Ken shook his head, she sighed. Then her eyes narrowed. "What's behind you?" she asked, pointing at the TV.

"Nothing."

"Really?" Patricia looked straight into Ken's eyes. "We'll see about that."

*******

Omi, for his part, chased Akito. He took out his poison darts and headed for the president's room, where he was sure Akito would go. He rushed up the flight of stairs that led to the president's room. When he heard gunshots and screams, he knew his hunch was right.

Reaching the president's floor, Omi ignored the bodies sprawled on the floor. He carefully headed for the president's room. He was only a few feet away when he heard someone shouting.

"Why did you abandon me, father?" a tortured voice cried out, making Omi stop in his tracks. "What I do wrong? I did everything you wanted me to do! I even killed for you! Why did you abandon me when I needed you the most? Is my life worthless for you?" The owner of the voice–Akito, Omi assumed–began to sob. "I did that all for you. Why couldn't you love me? Why couldn't you accept me, father?"

"Don't you ever call me father! You are nothing to me." Omi started at the man's chilling, callous words. Reiji said nearly the same thing to him more than a year ago. "You were just a tool to be used then to be discarded away. A worthless, weak person like you could never be my son. I could never love you. I _have never_ loved you." 

A moment of ominous silence followed the revelation. Then Akito shouted in a bloodcurdling voice, "You fucking bastard!" A scraping sound followed the shout, then by several gunshots. 

Omi bolted out of his hiding place and stood in front of the president's door. His eyes widened in shock when he saw Akito falling to the floor. "Otousan…" Omi heard Akito whisper brokenly as he crumpled to the floor. There was a look of astonishment, anguish, and a peculiar peace on his face.

The youngest assassin of Weiβ then raised his eyes to face Junichiro Yamada. The president of Omi's university held a handgun in his right hand and there was a look of hatred and disgust on his face that Omi found familiar. Junichiro then turned to him, and swung his gun to his direction. Omi stared at the man then at the corpse. When he looked back at the president, he didn't see him as Yamada, but as someone else.

Omi remembered little of what happened after that. He recalled Youji rushing towards him with a concerned look on his face. Then the oldest member of Weiβ wrapped his arms around him tightly, whispering words the young blonde couldn't comprehend. Omi didn't resist Youji; in fact, he was thankful for the comfort the blonde playboy gave him. Youji then proceeded to lead him out of the building, and into the waiting car.

*******

When they arrived at the apartments, they found Patricia arguing with Ken. As soon as Omi stepped out of Aya's Porsche, Patricia rushed towards her nephew. "Oh, thank God!" She hugged him tightly. "You're safe!"

That was when everything that happened came crashing down on Omi. "Patti-san," he said softly, embracing Patricia, startling his aunt. She felt so warm, so close.

"Daijoubu desu, Omi," she whispered gently, stroking her nephew's hair. "You're home now."

*******

"My classmates, what happened to them?" Omi asked Patricia. They were alone in Omi's bedroom, with Patricia sitting on Omi's bed. She had just finished giving her nephew a check-up, making sure Omi wasn't injured or poisoned. Omi lay on his bed, a worried look on his face.

"They're safe–at least many of them are." Several of Omi's classmates died because of the assault while the injured ones were rushed to a nearby hospital. 

"I see," Omi remarked. Then the boy sighed. "Poor Akito."

"Why poor Akito?" Patricia asked carefully. 

"Akito just wanted his father to love him. But he never did. He never would. Junichiro abandoned him when he needed him the most." Omi let out a bitter laugh. "Just like my own father." Then his voice became very quiet. "I wish I never knew who I was. I joined Weiβ to find the truth, and look what the truth gave me, what it did to Akito."

"But at least, he was free," Patricia remarked gravely. Omi gave her a surprised look. "All of us are held hostage voluntarily or forcibly–by something–the past, love, duty, fear–in Akito's case, his desire for his father to love him. When his father told him the truth, he was no longer bound to that desire, so he let go. Truth can oftentimes be painful, but it sets you free."

"But why does it have to hurt this much?"

"I don't know." She smiled sadly. "I wish I knew." There was a faraway look in her eyes as she spoke. "You should never let the past hold you back, Omi, because if you do, you'll never discover what the present and the future have in store for you. The past is a guide, not a hindrance." 

Omi nodded. It was time he stopped living in the past; the future awaited him. Then he remembered something he had to take care of. "Anou, Patti-san?"

"Hai?"

"Could you send Youji-kun in? I-I'd like to talk to him about something." He flushed slightly when his aunt gave him a weird look. Then she stood up. "After your chat with Youji, go to sleep, ne?" She kissed him softly on his forehead, something she had never done. Then she whispered in a gentle voice, "Be well, Mamoru-chan." To his surprise, he felt tears fall down his hair. Before Omi could react, Patricia left the room.

*******

"How is he?" Ken asked as soon as Patricia got out of Omi's apartment.

"He's all right," she said in clipped tones. "What happened?" Patricia asked Aya. "Omi looks…changed."

"He killed Junichiro Yamada. As close as we can determine, he grabbed Akito's gun and proceeded to gun down the university's president," Aya replied. When he came to the scene, he saw Youji embracing a dazed and bloodied Omi. When he looked at Junichiro, he took a step back. No words could describe what happened to the eldest Yamada. It was just too horrible.

"Are you mad?" asked Ken. Patricia had a fierce look on her face, like she wanted to kill someone.

"No, Ken. I'm quite sane. I'm not angry with you guys, if that's what you mean. I'm angry with someone else." She turned to Youji, who stood silently beside a stoic-faced Aya. "He wants to see you." Her gold-green eyes narrowed when a wary look appeared on Youji's eyes. "Don't tire him out," she told her. "He needs rest."

"Hai." Youji ignored the pointed look Aya shot him and went inside. 

When he saw Omi lying on the bed, looking hurt and vulnerable, Youji wanted to hit someone–or something. He hated seeing Omi get hurt. "Yo, Omi. You wanted to see me?" He stood beside his teammate's bed a guarded expression on his face. He still didn't know how Omi would react to him after the 'incident'.

"It's about the kiss," Omi began. Youji opened his mouth to respond, but Omi cut him off. "I'm sorry I acted so childishly over that. It was just a kiss and you were just teasing me, ne?" 

Youji stared at Omi, feeling as if his heart would break. How could he tell Omi that he loved him and that he wasn't teasing when he kissed him, when the boy was obviously not open to the fact? If he were to tell the truth, Youji would risk losing Omi altogether. When Youji kissed him, he reacted with disgust and by nearly cutting all contact with him. How much more if he were to tell Omi that he was in love with him? "Yeah," he finally said. "I was just teasing you." _I can't tell you the truth, so, for now, I'll keep this feeling to myself, for the sake of not losing you. _

Omi broke into a grin, the first after many days. "I've been worrying about that for a long time. I'm glad we cleared this up, Youji-kun."

Youji forced a smile. "So am I, Omittchi, so am I." 

****

Yue no Miko's _long_ notes: _Ah, yes, I have been neglecting Omi and Youji _**-_-+**_…Well. In the last chapter, we saw a fairly significant (though foolish) move courtesy of Yotan. I know right now that it may seem like Youji and Omi are just in the background, but believe me, in the later chapters, Omi and Youji will play very significant roles along with Patrick. Right now, I'm just sort of establishing Patricia as a character in the Weiβ Kreuz world, so please hang in there. As for why Omi seems reluctant to start a relationship with Youji, well, as any Weiβ fan out there knows, Omi has been through a lot of trauma. Not only that, he's in a stage when he's very confused. Yes, he is cheerful and quite…affectionate, but I believe there is more to Omi than his eager smiles and big blue eyes. This kid's been through very painful stuff, and ruthless assassin or not, that's bound to affect the way he interacts with people–especially with those he cares about. _

*SMGs- submachine guns


	15. Chapter V C: Masquerade

****

Disclaimer: I don't own Weiβ and Gravitation, I don't make money with this fanfiction, and I don't want to be sued.

****

Chapter V.C: Masquerade

Death was everywhere.

The man tried running away from it, but he couldn't. Not while this assassin watched him. The assassin had already killed all of his bodyguards, and was now after him.

Despite the streetlights, the streets were still dark, concealing those who hide in the shadows. He couldn't tell where his pursuer was. His assassin seemed to be everywhere. He had to reach the phone. He had to contact–

He never completed his thought. A shadow appeared out of the darkness, and in one swift motion, cut the man's head off. Blood gushed out of the neck, splattering the street with bright red blood.

The assassin licked the blood off the sword. A dark smile lit up its masked face. Another hunt was successful, and this time, the hunter brought down a bigger prey. 

*******

Aya Fujimiya opened his eyes, disturbed from his sleep by something he couldn't put a finger on. He sat up, careful not to wake the girl sleeping peacefully beside him. He looked around, wondering what woke him. When he saw nothing amiss, he prepared to go to back to sleep.

Then the telephone rang. 

__

Who could it be at this hour? Aya wondered with irritation. It was a mistake to put the telephone into the bedroom, but Patricia insisted on it when she moved in with him. At the thought of his girlfriend, he turned to see Patricia picking up the cordless phone on top of the bedside table. "Hallo," she said in a sleepy voice. "Who's this?"

Aya watched with concealed puzzlement as Patricia's eyes widened. "Yeah," she said in English. "I'm awake. TV? CNN? What about it? Couldn't it wait until tomorrow?" She frowned. She abruptly stood up, letting the covers fall, which revealed what she _did not _wear when she slept. She snatched a robe, put in on, and headed for the TV in the living room. Grabbing the remote, she turned the TV on, changing channels until she found CNN. 

Aya watched from behind her. The news was not unlike the ones he always saw in CNN, and yet, Patricia paid full attention to it. The police milled around, shouting orders while an ambulance's siren wailed in the background. A blonde reporter stood behind one of the police cars. She spoke in English, and Aya was thankful he could understand that language. He listened intently to what she said.

__

…Sir Gerard Deschanel, a member of the Parliament, is dead. His body was found headless in a street near his London home a few minutes ago. According to sources, his heart was removed from his chest. Scotland Yard is currently investigating this gruesome crime… 

Aya glanced at Patricia. Her face paled, and her gold-green eyes widened. She gripped the phone on her hand so tightly that her knuckles turned white.

__

…a blackened pawprint on his neck and carved on his chest were the words, 'I have returned to destroy those who judge themselves above the law'. So far, there are no suspects and–

Patricia abruptly turned the TV off. She was silent for a moment, and then she hissed, "Kuroneko."

*******

The coffee shop was practically deserted. It was just the two of them and a few more, mostly salarymen on break, although it was cold and there was a light snowdrift outside.

The blue-haired man studied the young woman in front of him. She was, as always, the most beautiful girl in the world. Her features reminded him of Snow White; hair black as ebony; lips red as blood; skin as white as snow. However, he was not here to admire her beauty. "All of his bodyguards were killed," he told her. "The assassin knew when and where exactly to hit." 

She said nothing. She had been so quiet since she came in, her beautiful face calm and composed. Her gold-green eyes remained expressionless as he went on. "Do you know what your mission is, Himalayan? Or have you been so distracted by your fooling around with the redhead that you've forgotten? You were sent here to kill someone, not fuck them. If you want to fuck someone, you bloody hell fuck him another time. Don't you–"

"I know perfectly well what my mission is," she interrupted coolly. "And I will accomplish it. I do not need your reminders, or else it is I who will have to remind you who exactly I am." She leaned forward, looking at him straight in the eye with a cold, deadly gaze that belied the casualness of her move.

He resisted the urge to flinch away from her eyes. Though he didn't believe looks could kill, he had a feeling this look could. He stood up. "I'm pleased that we understand each other perfectly, my dear." He smiled slightly at her. She smiled back, a chilly malevolent smile. He then hurriedly left. "Damn her," he swore under breath as soon as he was out of earshot. "And damn him as well!"

*******

Ken knew there was something wrong the moment Manx and Birman entered the room early in the morning. Their usual air of confidence was gone, replaced by a worried look in their eyes that plainly told them something bad had or will happen. "All right, what's wrong now?" Ken asked with resignation.

Manx took a deep breath. "Recent reports tell us that there is a spy in Kritiker."

Aya's eyes narrowed at the news. So, what he suspected was true. There was a spy in Kritiker. He realized that during the time they dealt with Hiroshi Ukari. Hiroshi had known where they hid Patricia when there were only less than ten people who knew about the place. One of those ten people would be the spy, or at least, knew the spy. He glanced around the room, studying his teammates' faces. _The question is, who is it?_

"A spy?!? First, we deal with a traitor, now a spy. Who is it?" Youji exclaimed, voicing out Aya's question

Birman shook her head. "We don't know who he or she is." She turned to Aya, who sat on the chair beside Omi. "Where is Himalayan?"

"She had other things to do," Aya replied. Patricia refused to talk about what last night had been about. When he woke up, she had already left, though she left a note that said she'd be back by afternoon.

None of the Weiβ Kreuz members were surprised by that announcement. Since her recovery, Patricia had been doing 'something' that none of them could figure out. She would leave suddenly, then come back as abruptly as she had left. None of them dared to ask her about this, and even if they did, they knew she would not answer them. She was like that most of the time.

"I see," Manx said in a neutral voice. "Well, if she comes over, tell her–"

"There's no need. I'm here, Manx. What's this all about?" Patricia then strode into the room.

It took Manx a few seconds to explain the situation to her. "Has this happened to you before?"

"A few times," Himalayan replied coolly. "What are your plans?" 

"We're ordering everyone to lie low for now, and that includes you."

"You shouldn't. The spy would know that he's been found out. That would give him a chance to escape."

"She's right. Why don't you run a quiet investigation of agents?" Omi suggested.

"We're working on that. Anyhow, you have to be careful now. You will only receive orders from Birman or me and no one else. Is that clear?"

All of them nodded. "You have to find the spy fast, and kill him," Aya said in his usual cold voice.

"We'll do that." They were set to leave when Patricia suddenly asked, "How is Persia taking this, Birman?"

Birman turned to her in surprise. "Persia is very upset about it," Birman responded in a quiet voice.

Manx couldn't be sure, but it seemed as if there were a glimmer of perverted triumph in Patricia's eyes when she said, "I expect Persia is. I hope his witch-hunt will be successful."

"Doumo, Himalayan-san." Birman gave her a puzzled look. "We'll be going now." Casting Patricia a smile, Birman left with Manx trailing behind her.

Youji raised his eyebrow at Patricia. "What the hell was that all about?" 

A ghost of a smile touched her lips. "It's a girl thing, Youji. You wouldn't understand."

*******

She cursed to herself. _Damn it!_ She had been careful, so very careful. She tried to hide it from them, but they had managed to find out. _Clever bastards_. However, she wasn't defeated yet. They haven't found out her identity so she still had the chance to extract her revenge. 

She had been planning for more than a year now, to avenge the deaths of her beloved family. Her brothers, his sons…she would avenge them all. They might have been corrupt, but she had loved them very much. She hadn't been there to protect them, hadn't been there to save them from Kritiker, but now, she had the chance to make the ones who killed her family pay.

It had been ridiculously easy to get it, to get the trust of the people. It took a lot of effort to be who she is right now, a person very close to the chain of command. She had fooled them all, even the supposedly sharp members of Weiβ Kreuz, especially the redhead. She smiled maliciously at the thought of the shock in their faces when they found out who the spy really was. It would be a shock that they would carry to their graves.

*******

Aya carefully balanced the bags of groceries in his arms. It was his turn to shop, as Patricia acidly pointed out when she handed him the grocery list. He grunted as he tried to lift one of the heavier bags. He swore when one of the bags tipped, causing several items to fall down. He carefully bent down to pick up the fallen items. As he slowly rose, a familiar face caught his eye.

Patricia sat inside a small restaurant. She was talking to a blue-haired man whom Aya did not know. He gazed at them. They had a look of concentration on their faces. Then, slowly, Patricia turned to his direction.

It was if a bolt of lightning hit him. A shock ran through Aya's body when he saw Patricia's gold-green eyes briefly widen with astonishment, then narrowed, when she saw him. Her mouth opened slightly, then closed when her companion tugged her sleeve. She removed her gaze from him, and turned to face the unknown man.

Turning on his heel, he headed for his car, fallen groceries forgotten, and drove back to the apartment.

*******

"Who was that?" Aya's cold voice came from the darkness of the apartment. 

Patricia paused at the doorway. She removed her shoes, not looking up. "Who was what, Fujimiya?" she asked back, calling him by his surname, telling Aya she expected this 'little chat'. She stepped into the apartment, closed the door, and turned on the lights. She found Aya standing in front of her, amethyst eyes intent. 

"The man you were with," he said through clenched teeth. "In that restaurant."

"He is none of your concern," she replied coolly, "but if you must know, he's a lawyer. My lawyer, actually."

Aya stared at her for a moment, studying her face. Her lawyer? Was that true? The man she had talked with did not look like a lawyer, and Aya had a feeling that wasn't all the man was.

"You don't believe me, do you?" She smiled wryly. "Who did you think that man was? A lover? Surely you didn't think he was the spy?" She stared at him, and saw the accusatory look he gave her. "You did."

"What am I supposed to think? You've been disappearing and reappearing. I don't know what you've been up to for the past few days. Then, I find you talking to a man of questionable identity. Not only that, your reaction when you saw me was disconcerting." That had been it. The way she looked at him. In that brief glance, Aya saw a multitude of emotions in her eyes: fear, anger, shock and more. If she had been conferring with a lawyer, she wouldn't look at him that way, unless they were planning something unpleasant he shouldn't know about.

"That was because I didn't expect to see you," she replied in a tight voice. "Fujimiya, if that man were the spy, and had I been conspiring with him, you'd be dead by now." She took off her coat, tossing it on a chair. "Why do I feel like we've had this conversation before? I thought we were past this." She walked past him, then glanced over her shoulder. "What gave you the idea he was the spy? Was it the way we talked? Or is it because of who I am? Was that it, Aya? You think he or I was the spy because I happen to be a Takatori?" she taunted.

Aya was saved from answering that question when there was a sudden knock on the door. Patricia glared at Aya for a moment, a challenge in her eyes, then opened the door. To their surprise, Omi stood there, a smile on his young face. "What is it, Omi?" she asked in a gentle voice.

"It's about the masquerade. Youji-kun asked me to ask you about the invitations."

"Well, I have them. Come in." She walked past Aya again and headed towards their room. A moment later, she emerged, holding some expensive-looking envelopes. "Here. I'm really looking forward to this. Bad Luck's will be playing, and I really want to be there." The party in question was Halloween masquerade to be held at the ballroom of a well-known hotel downtown. It was an exclusive event, the guest list including several famous people from both politics and show business. Being a scion of a political clan, Patricia easily got invitations. Not only that, their shop was hired to do the flower arrangements for the said party. "Who do you think I should be?" 

"How about Sleeping Beauty?" Omi said with a smile, which faded when he realized what he said.

Aya frowned. He still hadn't figured out why anyone would want to kidnap Patricia other than to kill her or why Ukari called her 'Sleeping Beauty'. What is it about Sleeping Beauty term that seemed so sinister? Patrick said that his twin got that nickname because she had needed a kiss before she woke up.

"A kiss?" Aya asked, bewildered by Patrick's explanation.

"Well, it's not exactly a kiss. You see, we were born two months premature. I came out first. When Patti came out, she was stillborn. She would have been dead if it weren't for Yukino, who performed mouth-to-mouth resuscitation to revive her. Yukino nicknamed her 'Sleeping Beauty' after that," Patrick explained. "It's ironic that Patti killed the man who brought her into the world of the living, ne?"

_How ironic indeed_, Aya thought grimly. Aya didn't mention to Patrick other details concerning Yukino, like the fact that he had Martin Deschanel killed for reasons unknown.

"I'm a brunette. Sleeping Beauty's blonde," Patricia said with a dimpled smile, breaking the uneasy silence in the room. "Maybe I'll go as Snow White. It's more nearer to my coloring. What will you wear?" 

"You'll have to talk about your costumes another time," Manx told them, appearing from behind Omi. She looked directly at Patricia. "We have something to discuss, Himalayan. The others will come as well."

*******

"_Nani?!?_"

Manx calmly stared at the stunned members of Weiβ Kreuz. "You heard me. As of today, Patricia is no longer a member of Weiβ Kreuz."

"Doushite?" Omi glanced at Patricia. Her beautiful face was calm, not showing surprise at the news. 

Manx shook her head. "I do not know. The order came from Kritiker. From the _top_." Manx's gaze focused on Patricia. "Further instructions will be relayed to you once you get to your branch. You should be out of the country by the end of the week."

"Wakatta," replied Patricia. "At least I can attend the masquerade," she remarked wryly.

"Can somebody _please_ tell me what exactly is going on here?" Youji demanded. "Do you have any idea what this is all about?" 

"I can only speculate," Manx murmured.

Patricia caught the inquiring tone in Manx's reply. "Speculate all you want, but I'm not telling you anything."

"So you _do_ know what this is all about."

"I'm not required to answer that." 

"Does this have something to do with the spy?" Ken wanted to know.

Patricia shrugged. "I don't know–and it doesn't matter. I have my orders, and I have to obey them, whatever the reason behind it may be." She smiled at them. "Don't look so depressed. You knew this was going to happen."

"Yeah," Omi murmured. "But I hoped you'd stay."

She sighed. "I want to stay, but I can't ignore my orders, especially if they came from the _top_."

Silence fell on the room. Patricia was leaving them, and they couldn't do a thing to stop her. Omi glanced at Aya. The cerise-haired young man was expressionless, as usual, but Omi suspected he was just as disturbed by the news as all of them were. 

"By the way," Manx said, almost as an afterthought, "A Sir Gerard Deschanel was brutally murdered a two days ago. Any relation?"

"Sir Gerard Deschanel's is Martin's uncle." Patricia's eyes narrowed into tiny green slits. "Kuroneko killed him. The black pawprint, the missing heart, the message–that's Kuroneko's signature." 

"I thought Kuroneko only killed Kritiker agents," Youji remarked.

"He is one," she replied in a quiet voice that told them a lot more than what she'd said. 

*******

"You knew this was going to happen." 

Aya said nothing. They were in their apartment–Aya's actually, but since Patricia moved in, both of them had begun to think of it as theirs. They never really talked about living together. It just happened. Patricia stayed with Aya while she recuperated from her wound. When she recovered, she found herself staying permanently in his apartment, maybe because all her stuff was already in Aya's apartment. Now that Patricia was leaving, it would become solely Aya's again. The redhead continued to look at her with his I-don't-give-a-damn stare. With an effort, Patricia restrained her temper.

"Aren't you glad I'm leaving? You'll get rid of the spy with almost no effort at all. Not only that, you'll get rid of a treacherous Takatori with whom you'd made the mistake of having a relationship with," she told him bitingly. 

"Does it matter what I feel or think about this? You've made it very clear that my opinion doesn't matter."

"I didn't say that." She took a deep breath. "Aya, I know you don't like what I'm doing right now. I don't like it too, but unfortunately, I have little choice on these matters. Now, what I am asking from you is to give me a little trust or even a benefit of a doubt. Our relationship has progressed this much, to the point that I am living in the same house as you do. There must be something in me you trust to let me get _this_ close to you." 

The two lovers gazed at each other in silence for what seemed like an eternity. Then finally, Patricia threw up her hands. "What's the use? You _never_ listen. Good night, Fujimiya." She stormed into the bedroom.

She was asleep when Aya came in. She was curled up in the bed, her back towards him. He slid under the sheets, careful not to wake her up. Then gently, he touched her shoulder.

Aya knew it was unfair of him to accuse her of being a spy, but he couldn't help it. When he saw her with that unfamiliar man, it brought up many old fears and prejudices he thought he'd overcome. It also brought up emotions he wasn't prepared to deal with yet.

Now, here was another problem. She was leaving for reasons he could only guess. Where was she going? More importantly, why? There was also the question of trust. Could he truly trust her? 

He pushed aside those thoughts. He only had less than a week with her, and he didn't want to spend it arguing with her. Tentatively, he drew her closer to him, turning her body so that she would face him. To his shock, he saw dried-up tear tracks on her cheeks.

_Did you cry for me?_ Aya wondered. He put his arms about her, closed his eyes, and surrendered to sleep.

*******

The day before the event, they went to the ballroom ostensibly scout the place, under the excuse of estimating how many flowers would be used. As they 'scouted', they managed to steal a guest list. Then they quietly slipped out to their van. "Well?" Aya prompted as Omi began to check the guests against a computerized list of suspicious people Kritiker compiled. These days, one couldn't be too careful.

Omi shook his head. "Everyone seems to be who they are. Security is OK, too. He tapped a few keys. "It's pretty tight." He gave Aya a weird look. "Really, Aya-kun. I don't see why we should do this. I mean, this is a VIP event. Security is bound to be really tight."

"Not tight enough. You hacked into it," Aya pointed out. Omi flushed a little at the redhead's remark.

"By the way, where is Patricia?" Ken wanted to know. "I haven't seen her all day."

Omi answered, "She said she'd pick up her costume and plane tickets today." 

"Oh? What will you be wearing, Ayan?" Youji asked, one eyebrow raised.

"I'm not coming. I don't have time for foolishness like that." 

"Foolishness? You've about two more days with her. Why aren't you with her? Why don't you sweep her off her feet, lock yourselves in your bedroom and make love to her all day?" Youji swooned dramatically, ignoring the deadly look Aya gave him. "You shouldn't waste the time you have left working here. Go to her, old boy!"

"Youji, if you value your life, I think you should shut up," Ken told him, flicking a hasty glance at Aya. If looks could kill, Youji would be a mere memory by now. 

"I can't believe she's really going to go. It seems only yesterday that she came here," said Omi, a wistful look on his face. Among the four, he would probably be the one most affected by Patricia's departure. After all, Patricia was his aunt and the two had become very close. She was his link to his forgotten past, and with her gone, Omi would feel her loss very keenly.

"Isn't it a little early for you guys to get all maudlin?" Patricia remarked, appearing suddenly. She gave them an amused look. "I haven't left yet, you know." She smiled at Omi. "Don't worry, I'll keep in touch."

"What are you so happy about?" Youji asked, seeing the flushed on her cheeks and the twinkle in her eyes.

She laughed, "Does it show? You'll find out soon enough." She winked at them. "Why don't you finish up here? I'm treating you out to lunch–and dinner."

Youji grinned. "Mou! You must really be pleased! Is this your going-away treat to us?"

Her smile faded and she said seriously, "Iie. My going-away treat is very, very different from this." 

*******

Everyone was surprised when they saw each other's costume on the day of the masquerade. "It seems like we all got the same idea," Ken remarked, grinning. Patricia, Ken, Omi, and Youji all wore their 'Weiβ clothes.

Patricia laughed. "It's a good thing we're wearing masks, or we'll get in trouble."

"Isn't Aya-kun coming?" Omi asked.

She made a face. "Iie. You know Aya. He doesn't like parties." She shot Youji a warning look. "Keep your love advice to yourself, Cupid, if you don't want me to shoot you." 

Youji just smiled. "Well, what are we waiting for? Let's get ready to party!"

*******

The office was dark when Manx arrived early morning. Manx tried to turn the lights on, but the lights did not open. Sensing danger, Manx pulled out a gun from her purse. Crouching, she cautiously stepped into the room.

The room was dark, but it was still possible to see the shapes of the furniture in the room. Tables and chairs were overturned. Someone had obviously entered the office uninvited.

A chair clattered to the floor.

Manx whirled around, trying to listen. It was faint at first, but she heard a familiar voice. Following the sound, she was led into a corner where she found Birman, bound and gagged. Her eyes were wide with terror. "Kyoko!" Manx shouted, calling Birman by her real name. Manx quickly untied her.

Birman doubled over, coughing. She looked up at Manx. "Thank the gods you're here!" she exclaimed.

Manx helped Birman get up. She looked around. "What happened here?" Then she turned back to Birman. The last thing Manx saw was a huge club descending on her head, knocking her out cold.

*******

The party was already in full swing when they arrived. People in colorful costumes were dancing their hearts out as lights swirled around them. On the stage, Bad Luck was playing. "Our flower arrangements look great," Ken remarked looking at the flowers that littered the huge ballroom. 

"Naturally." Youji scanned the crowd. "If you'll excuse me." Youji then headed towards a very sexy brunette in cowboy clothes, leaving them. Soon, he and the girl were getting intimate. 

Ken and Omi looked around nervously. "Not used to parties, are you?" Patricia asked. She smiled when the two nodded. "Don't worry. If you piss anyone off here, they won't recognize you." She tapped her mask in emphasis. She held her hand out to Ken. "Want to dance?"

"I'll take up that invitation," a masked man wearing a monk's robe said. Ken glared at the man, irritated by his brazenness. Then he saw the blond hair and amber eyes, he realized who the man was.

"It will be a pleasure to dance with you, Eiri, but wouldn't Shuuichi mind?" Patricia glanced at the pink-haired vocalist of the band, who was busy singing his heart out–and keeping an eye on Eiri.

Yuki Eiri grunted. "The brat knows who you are. He trusts you. Nice clothes by the way, Himalayan," Ken and Omi started a little when Yuki Eiri used her codename, "though I liked you better in that catsuit. Well?" 

Shaking her head, Patricia let Eiri take her hand. Glancing back at her two young companions, she said, "Enjoy yourselves. Don't drink too much, especially you, Omi. Be careful, too." Then she and the novelist were lost in the crowd of writhing bodies.

"So, what are we going to do now?" Omi asked. As soon as the words were out of his mouth, two young giggling girls dressed in very short, rose-colored roman togas appeared in front of them. "Hi!" they chirped in unison. "Want to dance with us?"

*******

"I never thought a monk would be a good dancer," Patricia observed as he and Eiri danced to the slow, relaxing music. It was one of Bad Luck's newest songs. "Did you write the lyrics?" she asked.

"Hn. The brat finally managed to convince me to write a song for him."

"He's really one of a kind. You're lucky."

"You call this luck, being followed around by a whining baka who–"

"–who happens to love and understand you despite your past and assorted bad habits?" She smiled gently at the abruptly silent novelist. "That's not luck, that's gravitation. You know, opposites do attract and–"

"Where's the redhead?" Eiri asked, cutting her off and effectively changing the subject.

She shrugged. "Home. He doesn't like parties." The music stopped and she broke away from him. She regarded him gravely. "Be thankful of what you have, Eiri. Love's a rare and precious thing."

"Speaking from experience, Angélique?" he asked mockingly. "Remind me to put that in my next novel." 

"I'll be waiting for that." She looked around. "I should look for my companions. They aren't used to parties like this." She curtsied gracefully. "Thank you for the dance. Be well, Eiri." Eiri bowed mockingly to her, then left.

Craning her neck, she tried to look for Ken and Omi. When she spotted Omi dancing with a girl, she headed for him. However, a hand clamped on her wrist. Whirling around, she was surprised to see a masked man with long red hair and violet eyes in a dark purple trench coat. "Aya?" she asked, eyes wide with disbelief.

Aya's grip tightened. "Let's dance." Without another word, he drew her to his chest, imprisoning her in his arms. Slowly, they began to dance.

"I thought you didn't like parties like this," Patricia murmured, looking up at him.

"I changed my mind," Aya replied shortly. It actually took him a few seconds after she left for the party for him to change his mind. The thought of her dancing with other men did not sit well with him.

"Sou desu ka?" Patricia smiled impishly, her dimples showing. She wrapped her arms about his neck, surprising the cerise-haired assassin. "I'm glad you made that decision, Fujimiya." 

"I was mistaken," Aya suddenly said. Patricia gave him a puzzled look. "I should have given you a benefit of a doubt. I shouldn't have accused you…that way." Aya looked away, and waited for her reaction.

"Everyone makes mistakes, Aya. Nobody's perfect," she replied softly. Her arms slid away from his neck. She gently touched his face. "_Je't aime_," she said in a voice barely above a whisper. Unexpectedly, she kissed him fervently, surprising Aya for a moment before he responded to the kiss. 

"What did you say?" he asked, a little confused. 

She shook her head, her long black hair hiding the sad smile on her lips. "Betsu ni. I just–" she frowned when she felt Aya's cell phone vibrate. With an oath, he fished out his cell phone from his pockets. "Hello?" 

Patricia watched him for a moment. When the call was finished, there was a grim look on his face. "That was Birman. She wants us to meet her and Manx in a warehouse downtown. You're not included."

"Wakatta. You better find the others." 

Aya hesitated. He didn't like leaving her alone. "Are you sure–"

Patricia waved him off with a smile. "I can take care of myself, Aya. Manx needs you. Now go."

*******

"Why do we have to meet here?" Ken complained to Aya.

"I don't know, Ken," Aya replied as he looked around. The four of them were in a poorly-lighted warehouse somewhere outside town. "Manx just told us to meet here."

"Why couldn't she meet us somewhere else, at some other time?" Youji complained. 

"It might be important, Youji-kun," Omi said. "Maybe it has something to do with the spy thing."

"Why do I have a bad feeling about this?" Ken muttered loudly, drawing his jacket closer.

There was a sudden hissing sound. Startled, the boys stiffened, senses alert, clutching their weapons. The hissing sound subsided, but was replaced by something else.

"What the hell is that smell?" Youji demanded. They sniffed the air cautiously. The air seemed funny, like…

"Gas!" Omi blurted out loud, quickly covering his mouth and nose. The others did the same._ Shit!_

"What gas is it?" Youji demanded. The gas was starting to get thicker and higher around them, its white tendrils reaching out to them, like tentacles ready to ensnare them in a deadly embrace.

"The door's locked and so are the windows!" Ken shouted from the door. "We fell into a goddamn trap!"

Aya looked around. The gas seemed to come from everywhere. In a few seconds, he became disoriented.

"Sleeping gas," Ken rasped, his voice faint and on the edge of sleep. 

Aya spotted a hazy figure in front of him. He made a few steps towards the figure, each step becoming increasingly difficult because of the gas's effects. As he finally neared the figure, his eyelids drooped shut and his body gave away. He fell on the floor unconscious with a sickening thud.

*******

Ken groaned as he opened his eyes. "What happened?" he asked groggily.

"You fell into a trap," a cold voice said. "Very easily, I might say."

"What?" Ken was about to jump from his seat when he noticed something.

"We're tied up, Ken-ken," Youji's deadpan voice told him. "Don't waste your time and energy jumping up."

Ken looked around. They still seemed to be inside the warehouse. All of them were sitting on a chair and bound by ropes tightly to it.

"Who are you?" Aya asked in a voice filled with contempt.

"I'm disappointed, Abyssinian. I would have thought you knew me by now," the voice from the darkness replied with a cruel laugh. "This might help you." Then a figure slowly emerged from the shadows.

Omi gasped. Their captor had long dark hair. They knew her very well. Indeed, they entrusted their very lives to her several times. "Hello, boys. Are you comfortable?" she asked with a malicious smile. There was a look of perverted triumph in her eyes.

They were speechless. Their captor was someone they did not expect or suspected. "You!" Omi hissed.

****

~T.B.C.~


	16. Chapter V D: Endings

****

Disclaimer: I don't own Weiβ. I don't make money with this fanfiction, and I don't want to be sued.

Thanks to **Cielo**, **Lil Yu JAh**, **klyukaizer**,and the other reviewers for bothering with my fic! Arigato gozaimasu!!

****

Chapter V.D: Endings

It was Birman.

They gaped at her, their minds still unable to believe what was plainly in front of them. Birman was the traitor, the spy. And she stood in front of them, an SMG in her hand.

Ken was the first to recover from the shock. "You bitch! We trusted you!" 

The look Birman gave him was malicious. "You trusted me because you were a bunch of nitwits." She took a step towards them. "It was very easy to lure you here."

A sudden, chilling thought occurred to Omi. "What did you do to Manx and to Patti-san?" Omi demanded of her. "If you hurt them in anyway, I'll–"

"You'll what, Omittchi? I don't think you're in no position to threaten me." Birman smirked.

Omi's blue eyes glittered with barely concealed anger. "Don't call me Omittchi."

"Why, Birman?" Youji asked in a quiet voice.

The smirk disappeared from Birman's lips. Her cold eyes narrowed. "Kritiker took away my family. Kritiker had them killed. They may have been corrupt, but they were my family and I loved them. You took them away. Now I'll kill all of you." She gave a harsh laugh. "It was so easy to trick Kritiker. After my family's death, I allowed myself to be recruited. They hardly checked my background as long as I obeyed my orders. How many times I laughed at Kritiker's stupidity. I was right under their noses, but they didn't even know!"

"What made you act now?" Ken struggled against his bonds. "Is it because Kritiker found out about you?"

"Yes, but it's mostly because I'm sick and tired of bootlicking and putting up with you." She turned to Aya, who glared at her. "Don't look at me like that, Ayan. Too bad your slut of a girlfriend isn't with you. No matter, I'll kill her later, or," her smile became vicious, "maybe I'll send her up here now so she'll see me kill you before her very eyes." She caressed Aya's face. Aya jerked his face away. "You'll like that, won't you, Aya? Or maybe, I'll kill her before your very eyes. Why don't we call her now?"

"There's no need to call me, Birman. I'm already here. And take your hands off Aya, _now_," a voice that distinctly belonged to Patricia ordered from somewhere in the darkness.

A stunned silence descended on the room when they heard Patricia's mocking voice. Birman looked around, a look of uncertainty in her eyes. "Where are you? Show yourself! Or else–"

"Or else what, Birman-chan?" Patricia replied with a giggle. "You can't hurt what you can't see."

"Show yourself, or I'll kill the members of Weiβ Kreuz!" Birman shouted, then fired a shot several inches away from Omi. "I may not see you, but I can certainly see them."

Patricia only laughed. "Not so confident now, are we, Birman?" She paused. "I wouldn't do that if I were you, 'cause from where I am, I can see you quite clearly. Why don't we find out who has the fastest gun?"

_Damn it, Patricia! What are you waiting for?_ Youji thought. _Kill Birman now! Women! They all love to talk_!

As if Patricia heard Youji's thoughts, a shot rang out from the darkness. Birman's gun clattered to the floor.

"K'so!" Birman swore. She moved fast, and unsheathed Aya's sword. She crouched low, eyes alert.

There was the faint sound of footsteps. Patricia finally emerged from the shadows. She still wore her costume and she held a double-barreled shotgun on one hand and her staff on the other. A cold smile replaced her usual cheerful one. She threw the shotgun into the darkness, and kicked Birman's gun out of the spy's reach.

Birman backed away, eyes wide with fear. "How–"

"Did you really think Kritiker was that stupid, Kyoko?" Patricia purred in a jeering voice. "Then you were a greater fool than I'd previously thought. We knew about you a long time ago, Birman."

"Wait a minute!" Omi shouted. "You knew all along that Birman was the spy and you didn't tell us?"

Patricia ignored her nephew. "The Japanese branch you may have tricked, but not us, Birman. We knew what you were doing for quite a while now. You should've been more careful. You don't cover your tracks well."

A look of understanding swept Birman's face. "Is that why you came here, Himalayan? To kill me?"

Patricia smiled coldly. To everyone's surprise, she pulled apart her staff, revealing twin swords. "Partly, yes." She approached Birman. "Why don't we get on with it?"

The movement was fast, almost undetected by the human eye. Birman swung Aya's sword at Patricia, who blocked it with her swords with incredible speed and accuracy. Their weapons clashed, their steely sounds echoing in the place. Sparks flew as metal clashed against metal.

The guys watched on, utterly fascinated by the sight of Birman and Himalayan dueling with swords. They had no idea the two were adept at sword fighting. Birman thrust the sword at Patricia, but she evaded it, then she swung one sword at Birman while the other blocked the spy's attacks. All through their deadly dance, there was a cool, ruthless, and confident look in Patricia's gold-green eyes. Then, Birman managed to knock her to the ground. Aya started from his chair, not caring if it was a futile move. "I win," Birman rasped, a triumphant look in her eyes.

"Not yet!" Patricia then swept Birman's legs off the ground, causing the spy to fall. Before Birman could get up, Patricia was on her feet. She disarmed Birman and put her foot on her enemy's chest. "Pathetic," Patricia spat out. She pointed the sharp point of her swords at Birman's neck.

Gasping for breath, Birman's eyes burned with hatred. "You think you've won now, but you haven't. The damage has been done. Kuroneko will make you pay. Kuroneko will kill all of you."

Patricia's face didn't change expression. "Maybe, but the Black Cat's not here now, is it? Kuroneko left you alone to die." She took her foot off Birman's chest. "Let me tell you something, Birman. Whoever your allies are, we'll find them. And we won't stop until they're destroyed." She lifted her swords. "Goodbye, Birman. Don't worry, you'll soon see Kuroneko, in hell where you both belong." Patricia then swung the swords.

The twin blades descended swiftly on its target. The members of Weiβ Kreuz saw a blur of cold gray metal, then a loud swish. To their horror, a head sailed past their heads. As it landed on the floor, Birman's head lay before them. Birman's unseeing eyes seemed to be looking at them. Omi started to gag.

Patricia appeared in front of them. The young men started in their seats when they saw her. Patricia looked like the embodiment of Death herself in her blood-splattered clothes and the bloody, slightly curved twin swords in her hand. Her eyes were cold and she did not speak when she cut them free from their restraints. When they were free, Patricia handed Aya his katana.

Aya quickly took it and pointed the tip at Patricia's throat. She stared at him calmly. "What a peculiar way to show gratitude," she murmured.

"You lied to us," Aya stated in a flat voice, his amethyst eyes flashing dangerously.

"I didn't lie to you," she replied coolly. She made no effort to take the sword away or to defend herself. "I didn't say anything false." Behind them, the three other members of Weiβ stood at the background, their eyes wide. 

"Then you deceived us." This time, his voice trembled slightly with barely concealed anger.

"You're wrong. I didn't act falsely. I merely kept some things from you. Besides, you never asked."

Aya pressed the tip of the katana against her throat closer, drawing blood. She didn't flinch. "You promised you would never keep secrets from me." A pain started in Aya's chest, slowly grew more intense.

A bitter smile. "I know."

"And I believed you!" Aya said harshly. "Bitch. You're just like Reiji. You're nothing but a liar. You lied to us. All this time, you knew about Birman. Why didn't you kill her before? Is it because you were spying on us, to know if there were a traitor other than Birman?" He saw her flinch momentarily, thus confirming his suspicions. He felt like a knife was twisting into his heart. "I don't ever want to see you again. You disgust me."

"Is that so, Fujimiya?" She asked him in a quiet voice. A look of hurt flickered in her eyes, but it was so brief that Aya thought he must have imagined it. "If that's what you believe is true, fine. I'm a deceitful bitch because I am Reiji's sister. I hope this discovery makes you very happy. After all, it confirmed what you've always thought of me."

"I trusted you," he said in a voice so low that it was only Patricia who could hear it.

"No, you didn't, Fujimiya. Not really. If you really did, we wouldn't be having this conversation." The dimpled smile she gave him was surprisingly gentle. "I'll never convince you I'm not like my oldest brother, will I?" She moved closer. "Since you are so convinced of my evilness, why don't you kill me now?"

It took all of Aya's control not show his exasperation. How could he kill her? He couldn't, because some part of him told him that Patricia wasn't as bad as he accused her to be. As some semblance of calm and reason seeped into him, he began to look at what happened in a more unbiased light. He lowered his sword. "Pat–"

Patricia stopped him with a sad smile. _It's all over_, her eyes said as she stepped back. Aya made no move to stop her. She turned her back to them and picked up her swords. "I guess I should go. Goodbye, minna." She walked towards the shadows without a backward glance, leaving the others staring numbly at her.

*******

If Patrick was surprised to find his twin sister at his doorstep carrying suitcases, he didn't show it and neither did he ask questions. She smiled dryly at him. "Hi. Do you mind if I–"

"Crash with me? No problem. What are big brothers for? My _casa_ is your _casa_." He gestured at his living room. "My flat's clean enough for you, is it?"

Patricia looked around. She seemed a bit surprised to notice that his brother's usually messy apartment was actually clean and orderly. "Did you have someone over? A girl perhaps?"

Patrick gave her a long look. "If you must know, I did have a girl over. She's actually my girlfriend. We've been dating for a month or so now." There was a slightly sheepish look on his face. "We didn't do anything funny," he said defensively. "We just…talked." 

Patricia didn't pay attention to her twin's babbling. "A girlfriend?" She was incredulous. Patrick never mentioned that he has a girlfriend. "I can't believe you never told me!" she gasped. "Who's the lucky girl?"

There was a silly look on his face when he said, "Well, her name's Aya Fujimiya. She lives in a town not far from here. She works on a flower shop. She's the daughter of the CEO of a company Reiji used to deal with." He was puzzled when he saw the expression on Patricia's face turn from one of incredulity into one of terror. Then, to Patrick's horror, Patricia began to cry.

*******

The days that followed Patricia's departure were somber and depressing ones. They were all subdued, rarely speaking to each other. Things were never the same again. Autumn never seemed so bleaker until now.

It seemed that it was Aya and Omi that was most affected. Omi hardly said anything after Patricia left. He had an unhappy expression on his face, though he smiled whenever anyone asked him what was wrong. Aya, on the other hand, became more stoic. The only words that came out of his mouth were curt orders and icy retorts.

Youji watched Omi's growing unhappiness with a grim expression on his face, hating himself for being to unable to comfort Omi, hating Patricia for causing this. "Do you think she'll be back, Youji-kun?" Omi asked him two days ago, when the two of them ate lunch together.

"I don't know, Omi."

Omi sighed. "It just feels empty without her. It's like some part of me is missing. I loved her, Youji-kun. And now, she's gone." 

_Damn you, Patricia,_ Youji thought. _How dare you do this to your own nephew_? Youji smiled sadly at the younger blonde. Omi needed his comfort, not his anger. "I think she loved you, too, kid. And maybe, she still does."

"You think so?" 

"I know so. Now stop moping. Everything's going to be OK." _Just leave everything to me._

*******

Aya glanced around his apartment. These past days, for some strange reason, he found it hard to stay in his apartment. It seemed colder than usual, unwelcoming. There was some kind of aching loneliness in the place. It had been like this since Patricia left.

When he came home after Birman died, he almost expected to see Patricia there, waiting, but she wasn't. She had been due to leave that day, so all her clothes have been packed and ready to go. She had known things would end up this way. Yet, she had chosen to go through the mission. She chose the mission over him. 

Aya tossed his coat on his couch then fell on the bed, gazing at the ceiling. He had been having a hard time sleeping, often troubled by memories of Patricia–the sound of her voice, her faint, perfume-laced scent, her delicate face, her laughter, her warm body beside him. He felt a sharp pain in his chest. He swore. _Damn you, Patricia, for making me feel this…pain…this damn longing for you. What did you turn me into?_

There was a sudden knocking at the door. Aya got up, wondering who the hell the person was. He absently put on a sweater–the maple-colored one given to him by Patricia–and headed for the door, and opened it.

Youji stood at Aya's doorstep, a determined expression on his face. "What do you want? Aya asked coldly.

"We need to talk about your attitude," Youji said flatly. "It's pissing me off, Aya, this cold-hearted attitude of yours. If you're mad on something, don't take it on us."

"I don't think my attitude is any of your damn business." Aya's voice would have frozen fresh lava.

Youji wasn't fazed. "It is when it's affecting the whole team," Youji retorted hotly. "You seem to forget you happen to be our leader, Aya. When something wrong with you, the whole team is affected."

"Don't remind me of my responsibilities. There is nothing wrong."

That was when Youji's temper snapped. Youji have had enough of Aya's coldness. "Are you so narrow-minded as to let your pride get in the way of your reason?" Youji saw Aya's eyes narrow into tiny slits. "You're angry, Aya, not only with Patricia, but also with yourself because you loved her. She managed to break through those walls you put around you. She made you feel again, melted your ice-cold heart, and that's what you're afraid of. You judged Patricia even before she had the chance to explain as if you were glad to know Patricia was evil, so you'll have an excuse to put up those walls again to prevent yourself from being hurt. That's what you're afraid of, isn't it, Aya? You're afraid of being vulnerable to hurts. You're afraid of love." Youji gave a bitter laugh. "So, the great Aya Fujimiya is nothing but a coward, eh?"

"Shut up, Kudou. You don't know what you're talking about."

Youji threw up his hands. "Fine! Be stubborn about it! But tell me, what would you do if Patricia dies?" 

There was a long, tense silence. Aya gave Youji his iciest and deadliest glare. Youji went on. "You do remember that Birman was a spy for Kuroneko, ne? Kuroneko will not take Birman's death lying down. Kuroneko's going to strike back. Kuroneko's most likely going to kill Patricia, and when that happens, what will you feel? Will you feel happy because the greatest threat to your safe, walled-up life is dead? Will you let the woman you love die?" Aya just kept his gaze, the unconcerned look still on his face. Youji nearly went wild with frustration. _Is he even listening?_ _Shit, I may have messed out my love life, but I'm not going to let Fujimiya mess his,_ Youji said to himself. Youji thought of his still strained relationship with Omi, the death of Ken's Yuriko, the murder of Omi's Ouka and his own Asuka's/Neu's demise. _There's already too much heartbreak in Weiβ without Iceman Fujimiya and Patricia adding into it._

"That," Aya finally said, breaking the silence, "is up to me. And you have nothing to do with it." Having said that, Aya slammed the door shut, making Youji wince.

*******

One day, five days after the 'Birman incident', as Weiβ Kreuz were closing their shop, a man with blue hair came. The guys, in their post-Birman mood, gave the man a flinty look. "We're closed," Aya said curtly.

"I'm not here to buy flowers, Abyssinian. I'm looking for you chaps, the members of Weiβ Kreuz." The group gaped at him. The man bowed slightly. "Allow me to reintroduce myself. I am Will O' Hara, codenamed K2, the head of Kritiker's European branch. And I'm here to tell you what exactly was behind Himalayan's mission."

*******

"Does she know you're here?" They were in Weiβ's situation room, waiting for Will's explanation. 

"I can assure you she doesn't," was Will's reply to Omi's question. "Or I would have been dead by now."

"Talk," Aya ordered him. His amethyst eyes narrowed into slits, observing Will coldly.

Will bristled slightly. "As you know, Kuroneko killed several European agents. These deaths came under very suspicious circumstances. The agents were among the best, so it wasn't all that easy to get rid of them. That was when we suspected there could be a mole in Kritiker–a mole placed in a position high enough to provide access to top secret and sensitive cases."

"Why did you search in Japan? Is it because Kuroneko's name is Japanese?" Youji asked.

Will nodded. "Yes. Of course, we did run a thorough investigation in our own branch, but Kuroneko's choice of name simply stood out. I mean, why use a Jap name when you kill Anglos? We asked for Persia's help. He turned us down." There was a bitter note on his voice as he spoke.

"He turned you down?" Omi echoed, surprised. "Wait, which Persia is this?"

Will thought for a moment. "The current one. He was, if you'll pardon me, one arrogant bugger–quite unlike Patricia's half-brother, the previous Persia. The new Persia told us his branch was clear of traitors." A faint smirk touched his face. "Anyway, that was when we thought of a plan to secretly infiltrate the Japanese branch. To find out if Birman was truly the spy and if there were other spies there. If proven without a doubt that they were the traitors, Birman and the other spies were to be executed." 

"What made you suspect it was Birman?" Ken wanted to know.

"We ran an authorized covert investigation of the all Kritiker branches, including the Jap branch." There was no trace of guilt on his face. ''We found Birman's file very suspicious, since it talks little on how she came to Kritiker. We investigated her and found out some interesting things. Did you know that her brothers and nephews were drug smugglers that were killed by Kritiker agents? We looked a bit more, and it turns out that Birman had made a few trips to Europe that coincided with the deaths of our agents. When she was briefly transferred there, she made fast friend with a suspected mole in our branch–who, I am glad to say, is dead now. Not really a good omen, is it? Besides, she was in a high enough position to have access to classified Kritiker data."

By this time, their eyes were wide with astonishment on how determined the European branch was in uncovering the spy. "Was Patricia involved in the investigation?" Aya queried in his quiet voice.

Will shook his head. "Patricia was currently in the United States that time, burying herself in her studies in to take her mind off Martin, who had just recently died. It would have been rude of us to intrude on her grief."

"Then how did she end up doing the mission in the first place?" Youji demanded.

"She was the best one for the job with her heritage and connections. She said no at first. It wasn't until two young agents and our head–your equivalent of Persia–Sir Deschanel, were killed that she finally agreed. She said no because she didn't like the idea of deceiving allies, but agents were dying, and we just can't let that happen. We had to do something before Kuroneko killed more agents. We sent Patricia here. I maintained constant contact with her. That's why she sometimes disappeared to somewhere." He turned to Aya. "Yes, she was meeting with me when you saw us. When you were shot, she was with me in the hotel. That was why she was there to rescue you." 

"I see," Aya said. That explained many of Patricia's mysterious disappearances and appearances, like the time she appeared just in time to save him from falling. It also explained why she seemed uneasy with them, why she constantly reminded them to be very careful. She had known the danger surrounding them, and kept it to herself. Things wouldn't have gotten this far if Persia had only cooperated. He turned to Omi, who had an outraged expression on his face. "Get Manx here now," Aya ordered coldly. 

*******

Manx had a grim expression on her face when she arrived. The bandage around her head was gone now. She was lucky. For some strange reason, Birman did not kill her immediately. They found her lying unconscious on the floor of their office, her head bleeding, which caused them some degree of panic. Now, judging from the look on her face, she seemed to know what was coming. "Did Persia know about Birman?"

Manx nodded as a reply to Ken's question. "He suspected, but Persia didn't want to acknowledge it. Too much pride, I guess. It wasn't until a set of discrepancies occurred in Kritiker did Persia pay attention."

Aya clenched his fists. So, he truly did misjudge Patricia. Though she had done wrong by keeping a secret from him, she wasn't like what he accused her to be. Now, it was too late to take back what he said, or is it? Aya had tried to contact Patricia several times already, even before Youji talked to him, even before Will came to talk to them. Unfortunately, she changed her number and address. She seemed to have disappeared.

Aya turned to Will. "Do you know where she is?"

He shook his head. "Patrick probably does, but he's too bloody loyal to his twin to tell you," Will replied. "Look, I'm not sorry we had to resort to such extreme means. We want to keep our agents alive, and I'm willing to anything to keep our agents safe."

Manx smiled sadly. "We can't really blame you, can we? Please forgive us."

Will grinned back. "Apology accepted." Things were now resolved between the European branch and the Japanese Branch. Now, there's only one issue left, and that's none other than Patricia.

*******

Though Weiβ Kreuz tried very hard to contact or to find Patricia, they couldn't locate her or her brother. They nearly gave up, until someone unexpected told them a very useful information.

They were in the flower shop, though they paid no attention to what happened around them. As Omi watered some hyacinths, someone tapped his shoulder. When he turned to face the person, his jaw dropped. 

Aya 'Aya-chan' Fujimiya stood in front of Omi, a bunch of maroon mums in her hand. She wore a maroon-colored coat. She smiled at Omi. "How much is a dozen mums?" she asked softly.

Aya, who was behind the van, heard his imouto's voice. He froze, his heart pounding. He hid behind the van and then carefully gazed at his sister. What was Aya-chan doing here? Did she found out he worked here? Aya had been careful. Aya-chan couldn't possibly recognize Omi and the rest–she had never seen them, but what if Sakura said something or had a picture of them? Their cover would be blown. Aya-chan would know he was alive. The thought made him happy and fearful at the same time. A searing pain of longing pierced his heart. His little sister was so near, yet so far…

Omi froze on the spot. He would have simply stood there if it weren't for Youji cutting in. "It's for free," Youji told Aya's sister with a charming smile.

Aya-chan blushed. "Thank you." She looked around. "My friend and I work in a flower shop, too."

Youji raised an eyebrow. "Really? So, what are you doing here? Spying on the competition?" he teased. 

She shook her head. "Iie. I'm here with my boyfriend." 

That jerked everyone up, Aya in particular. A surge of brotherly jealously and protectiveness shot into him. _A boyfriend? My little sister? Why didn't I know that?_ He wondered who the man was. 

Again, Youji recovered first. "And who's this lucky guy? He might be a regular customer."

"Oh, his name's Patrick Takatori. He lives a few blocks from here." She gave them a puzzled look when she saw their stunned faces. "Is there anything wrong?"

_Is there anything wrong?_ Ken thought when he the hiding Aya a furtive glance. Aya also had a shocked expression on his face. _Aya-chan boyfriend is Aya-kun's ex-girlfriend's twin! That's what's wrong! Damn!_ Ken turned back to a confused Aya-chan. "Hey, do you know Patrick's twin sister, Patricia? She used to work here." Ken asked, hoping to ease the moment and to find out something about Patricia.

Aya-chan nodded. "Hai. Patricia-san is very nice. I met her a few days ago, when she was about to board the plane to England." There was a sheepish look on her face. "She didn't know Patrick and I were dating until a week or so ago. She was very kind, though she seemed a little confused." 

_Confused? She's probably stunned like the rest of us!_ Youji thought. 

"Anou, do you know how we can contact Patti-san? We weren't able to say goodbye to her. We really want to talk to her," Omi suddenly asked, his hopes rising. 

To their relief, she nodded. "Hai. I have her new number." She gave Omi a piece of paper, on which when Omi checked, was a phone number. "Patrick gave it to me for safekeeping." Aya-chan glanced at her watch. "I should go. Patrick's waiting for me." She pointed to a dark blue Ferrari, where, to their surprise, Patrick was leaning against the car. She waved at them. "Thanks for the flowers!" She ran towards the car. When she got inside, Aya emerged from his hiding place, took the paper from Omi, and looked straight at Patrick. Something seemed to pass between them. Then, Patrick nodded in acknowledgement, got in the car, and drove away. 

*******

Patricia clutched the sink tightly, bracing herself as another wave of nausea passed. _God, why do I have to be sick now?_ she thought. It had only been two weeks since she arrived in London, and already, her health broke down. She had already gone to the doctor to have some tests done, and was waiting for the doctor's phone call when another 'nausea attack' hit her. After she rinsed, she went back to the living room.

_It has to be a stomach virus,_ she said to herself. Thank goodness she didn't get sick while she was in Japan, staying with Aya. She stopped at the thought. Aya.

As always, whenever she remembered him–which was constantly–a pain seemed to hit her in the chest. She had left Japan without even talking to him, without explaining her side. "Which is just as well," she told herself aloud. "There's no use explaining to a narrow-minded ass like him." She wiped her face with a wet towel, dried her face up, and then left the bathroom. She flung herself on the couch. She felt strangely lethargic nowadays.

Who was she kidding? A part of her wanted to go back to Japan and explain to Aya. She would talk to him until he became convinced that what she did was for the best. Unfortunately, she inherited the stubbornness of her maternal grandfather and the damnable Takatori pride. She would never explain herself, not even to salvage their relationship. 

The phone on the wall rang and she grabbed it, eager to get away from her 'Aya' thoughts. However, she found no solace on the phone. "We need to talk." The connection was incredibly clear and she could distinctly hear Aya's deep voice. She froze for a moment before demanding, "How did you get my number?" Then she bit her lip. She should have said he got the wrong number.

"My sister gave it to Omi," There was a note of bitterness in his voice.

"Oh," she managed to say. Aya probably knew Aya-chan is dating Patrick. But how did–Patrick. Patrick schemed to somehow give them her phone number without breaking his promise. _Damn older brothers!_ "Is that why you called? To add more accusations on my list? What would it be now? Are you going to accuse me of using my twin brother to get my revenge on you?" she asked him sarcastically, her anger coming back.

"No."

She blinked. "Then what do you want?"

"I already stated what I want. I want to talk to you."

"**NO**," she said firmly. Then she put the phone down, grabbed a pair of scissors, and snipped the phone line to make sure Aya couldn't contact her. She then flung the phone outside her window.

The fact that Aya actually bothered to call her told her she still meant something to him. After all, Aya had a lot of pride as well, and it must have taken a lot of pride swallowing on his part to bring himself to call her. Still, it was too early for them to talk. They both needed time to think about themselves and their feelings. If they were to meet now, wounds still fresh, they might end up hurting themselves. "We'll talk, Aya, but not now," she told herself aloud. "We–I–need time to think."

The phone rang again. This time, it was her cell phone and it wasn't Aya. It was the doctor. "Hello, Ms. Takatori. I have your results here. The tests show that there's nothing wrong with you. You're perfectly fine."

Patricia frowned. "But what about my nausea attacks?"

"Oh, that's quite normal for you. You see, Ms. Takatori, you're pregnant."

"_What?_"

"You're expecting a child, Ms. Takatori. Now, here–" Patricia drowned out the doctor's voice. Her hands drifted to her abdomen, suddenly aware of the child growing within her. Pregnant. That explained everything, the recent bouts with nausea and dizziness, her moodiness, the lethargy…she was carrying Aya's child. How could she have been so naïve and stupid to not realize that earlier? Some future doctor she was!

"Oh, God," she breathed. What was she going to do? Would she call Aya immediately and tell her he's going to be a father? Or will she keep it to herself? She closed her eyes and thought, _the games the Fates play_.

Outside her apartment, the gentle wind continued to blow, scattering the fallen leaves.

****

~T.B.C.~

Author's rant: Thanks to Ai-chan, CJ-neesan, Dyosa-neesan, and Ed for helping me out with this chapter. I also what to thank my reviewers and readers for being sooo patient with me! 

****

Youji: Oi! Why aren't there anymore scenes of Omi and me?

****

Yue no Miko: Urusai, you hentai shota-kun fanatic! We'll get to that…when Omi's older!

****

Youji: *grumbles* Spoilsport.

****

Yue no Miko: What was that?!? *brandishes Aya's katana*

****

Youji: Nothing.

****

Ken: What about me? You killed my girlfriend! You're only focusing on Aya and Patricia. You're so biased! 

****

Yue no Miko: I'm not! You'll make your big scene ALL IN GOOD TIME! Unless you want this to be a death fic!

****

Ken: *in a singsong voice* biased, biased, bi–

****

*WHACK*

Ken: Owww!

****

Yue no Miko: That's all for now…Ja!


End file.
